Harry's New Home
by callieeefornia
Summary: Sirius saves young Harry from the abusive Dursley's clutches after a twist of fate secures his innocence from the Ministry. Follow Harry over the years as he grows up in a loving and happy wizarding home - how will this affect the future war? JK Rowling owns Harry Potter and all the characters! Enjoy! (Rated T to be safe).
1. Rescue

A/N: I'm thinking this is going to be a chaptered story, but I plan to keep it under twelve chapters. Maybe I'll do one-shots throughout Harry's life after this introduction chapter. Check out my other two stories as well: "You Raise Me Up," which is a long story with multiple chapters. I'm still working on it, but I've almost written 40 chapters. "Heartbeat" is a one shot I wrote a couple of weeks back. Both involve a relationship between Sirius and Harry, and also include Remus. "You Raise Me Up," goes through Goblet of Fire to Deathly Hallows (or will when it's completed). Thanks! Don't forget to leave me a review for this.

Little seven year old Harry Potter sat sniffling in his dank and musty cupboard, cradling an inflamed wrist and wishing for a family member to come rescue him. He could hear Dudley's loud crying from the living room, due to his lack of dessert for the evening, and wished that his Aunt Petunia would console him the same way she was doing for her own son.

"Don't worry, Dudders," Harry heard her whisper to his cousin in a much gentler voice than she had ever used with him. "Tomorrow when you wake up to go to school, I'll have the boy fix you a stack of your favorite chocolate chip pancakes with chocolate syrup and whipped cream. Does that sound good? Mummy's sorry the freak forgot to make your special cake tonight, but daddy's punished him. Don't be sad anymore."

Harry winced as a fresh bout of wailing came from his cousin and covered his ears with his shabby, old pillow the best he could manage. Tomorrow would come and he would wake up, once again, in an old cupboard and be forced to cook for his "relatives," before attending a school where he had no friends or confidants. This was the only life he had known, and one he had come to accept; despite this, the young boy couldn't help but hope that, somewhere, somehow, there was someone who loved him and wanted him.

* * *

"Charlie, dear," Mrs. Weasley said, turning her attention away from her two youngest children to her fifteen year old son. "I know you really like taking care of magical creatures, but the house is definitely not a place to keep a dragon, regardless of whether or not it is a newborn. Your father has invited some men from the ministry to take it to a dragon sanctuary tomorrow. Okay?"

"But mom, I was named prefect and quidditch captain this year! You said I could get whatever I wanted," the older boy whined, though he was hesitant, not wanting to push his hot-headed mother too far.

"I know dear, but I was thinking more along the lines of a new racing broom or perhaps a less dangerous pet - maybe an owl?" Mrs. Weasley suggested, not wanting to deny her son something for working so hard, but also knowing that the dragon would not work around her six year old, adventurous daughter.

Before Charlie could respond, the baby dragon leapt onto the table and grabbed Percy's rat, Scabbers, out of his hand with it's mouth. Percy started to shout for someone to save his rat, but before he could, Scabbers had begun to grow to an abnormal size.

"ARTHUR - ARTHUR GET IN HERE!" Mrs. Weasley shrieked as she watched the small rat turn into a plump, blonde boy, appearing to not be much older than her eldest child, Bill.

Arthur Weasley ran inside the kitchen, only to stop dead in his tracks at the sight in front of him. By the sink, Molly was shepherding her children behind her. In front of them, a man was cowering away from the small dragon and attempting to nurse the injuries the dragon inflicted on his animagus form; this man was what made Arthur halt.

"Peter Pettigrew?" Arthur whispered, stepping closer, shock overcoming him. "No, you can't be, you're- you're supposed to be- Sirius Black killed…"

Arthur looked to his wife and children, who were all gaping at the odd sight in their kitchen. Finally, Arthur came to his senses. "Stupefy," he said, before heading straight to his fireplace and calling the Minister for Magic.

* * *

"I WANT MORE PANCAKES," Dudley shouted at his small cousin who was standing by the stove.

"You heard him, boy, get our Dudders more pancakes!" Vernon yelled at Harry.

"B-but I haven't had any breakfast yet," Harry mumbled, cowering away from his uncle as he advanced toward him. "A-and school starts soon, I need to g-get ready."

"I don't care boy, you can go in your pajamas! GET THOSE PANCAKES DONE." Vernon yelled, swatting at Harry before moving to kiss his wife and son goodbye. Harry watched Vernon hug his son in both disgust and jealousy - though he did not want Vernon to hug him that way, he did wish he had a daddy who loved him too.

After serving Dudley his fifth helping of pancakes, Harry rushed to put on his hand-me-down clothes and allowed his aunt to forcefully tug at his unruly hair for a few minutes to see if she could make it lie flat, before running out the door to get a head start and avoid his cousin's bullying on the way to school.

* * *

"Arthur, it can't be Peter Pettigrew - it just can't be! Sirius Black, the lunatic, blew him up! All we found was-"

"A finger," Arthur said calmly, interrupting the minister as the auror's examined the still stunned man lying in the kitchen floor of The Burrow. "And if you didn't notice, this man is missing a finger. I'm not saying Sirius Black is innocent, but I think it would be worthy to use veritaserum on this man to be sure."

"And I completely agree with Arthur, Minister." Dumbledore said confidently, walking through the floo in the burrow, his blue eyes twinkling. "We wouldn't want an innocent man kept in prison, would we? Imagine the scandal that would cause for the ministry, should Pettigrew's strange appearance be brought to the light by the Daily Prophet."

As the headmaster said this, another tall man, with dirty blonde hair and amber eyes, stepped out of the floo. "Ah, Remus," Dumbledore said kindly, gesturing the man towards kitchen floor where the supposed Pettigrew lay. "Could you identify this man, for me?"

Remus Lupin stepped forward shakily and swallowed past the lump in his throat. "T-that's impossible," he mumbled, looking away with tears in his eyes.

"Why is it impossible, Remus?" Dumbledore asked gently, as he simultaneously pulled out a vial of veritaserum.

Remus shook his head as his emotions overtook him - if Pettigrew was alive, could he dare to hope that he had a friend back, after six years of being alone? Or could this mean that Sirius himself was innocent? Perhaps there was a big misunderstanding, and three of the four Marauders could be together again? He pushed these thoughts away, refusing to accept anything until he heard the facts.

"Here, Minister - use this on Mr. Pettigrew and ask his perspective of that night in Godric's Hollow six years ago. I believe it will be most enlightening." Dumbledore said, handing Fudge the potion and stepping back to place a hand on Remus's shoulder.

Shakily, Fudge poured the potion down the stunned Pettigrew's throat, then allowed the auror's to revive him so that he could answer their questions.

"Are you Peter Pettigrew?" Dumbledore began, noticing that the minister was too shocked to speak.

"Yes," Pettigrew answered in a raspy, broken voice.

"When did you become an unregistered animagus?" Fudge managed to blurt out, stepping slightly closer once he accepted the man's identity.

"My fifth year at Hogwarts. James and Sirius helped me, we decided to do it to help Remus's werewolf transformations, since he was no danger to animals when transformed."

Dumbledore sent a small smile to a guilty looking Remus before continuing. "What happened on the night that Lily and James were murdered?"

"I fled," Pettigrew began, looking around nervously. "Sirius chased me to try and avenge their deaths."

"Why did you flee? Why did Sirius chase _you?_ " Remus finally spoke up, unwilling to believe that he had assumed wrong, that Sirius wasn't the traitor.

"I was James and Lily's secret keeper. Sirius and James decided it would be better if Sirius led Voldemort to believe he was the secret keeper - that way James, Lily, and I would stay safe while the death eaters went after him and I was to go into hiding. However, he didn't know that I was a death eater and the Order of the Phoenix traitor - I told Voldemort the Potter's location and led him to them." Pettigrew squeaked out.

Dumbledore looked at the man with disgust and Remus dropped to the floor out of shock. The Weasley's were all huddled in the corner, watching the exchange with wide-eyes. Percy was in tears over the rat, and Charlie was praising his dragon for catching a criminal.

"And what happened after Sirius cornered you on that muggle street?" Fudge asked through gritted teeth.

"I framed him - I announced that he betrayed Lily and James and then blew up the whole street to make my fake death look more realistic. Then I turned into a rat and traveled here to see if a wizard family would take me in, so I would know when Voldemort returned." Pettigrew said, before an auror stunned him again and he was out cold.

"Shacklebolt," Fudge said quietly, summoning the head auror to him. "Go straight to Azkaban. Take Pettigrew there and prepare him for trial."

"And Sirius Black, Minister?" Kingsley asked.

"Bring him to my office so that he may receive compensation for what has been denied him for the last six years." Fudge mumbled, looking indecisive over the entire situation, but determined.

"W-what will that include?" Remus asked, moving forward.

"A pardon, for one thing, with compensation." Fudge said, turning toward the werewolf and headmaster. "An Order of Merlin as well, for standing up against a death eater, like what we gave Pettigrew when we thought the situation to be different. We also will include whatever else he requests of us, if possible."

"I think I know exactly what he'll want, Minister, so I will accompany you to your office to meet with him. I request that Remus joins us as well." Dumbledore said confidently, moving forward to meet the officials. "But that will do to be getting on with, thank you Arthur and Molly for informing all of us of these events."

"Oh of course, Headmaster!" Molly said, stroking Ginny's hair and attempting to comfort a still distraught Percy.

"Please inform us of what comes of this, Minister," Arthur said as the officials prepared to floo away.

"Of course, Weasley. Thank you again." Fudge said as he lead the auror's into the floo.

* * *

"Harry, can you read the paragraph for us on page 10, please?" Mrs. Smith asked the young boy. Mrs. Smith was Harry and Dudley's english teacher, and she was young with a kind face and bright blue eyes.

"N-no, I can't." Harry mumbled, a fierce blush coloring his cheeks.

The class broke out into laughter, orchestrated by Dudley. "The freak's so stupid he can't even read!"

"That's enough!" Mrs. Smith yelled, walking over to the boy's desk. "Harry, why can't you read it?" She asked gently.

"I-it's all b-blurry." Harry mumbled, upset at the other's kids taunting, but refusing to cry in front of everyone.

"See me during recess, please," she said quietly and the kids started laughing again at the thought of Harry possibly being in trouble.

When everyone had left to go to the playground, Harry walked up to his teacher's desk with his head down.

"Harry, sweetheart, you aren't in trouble. I just want to ask you a couple of questions - is that okay?" Mrs. Smith asked kindly, motioning for Harry to sit in the seat beside her. Harry nodded and accepted the invitation. "How long have you been having trouble reading?"

"A-a few years," Harry answered honestly, looking down at Dudley's old trainers that he wore.

"Have you told your aunt and uncle?" She asked the child.

Harry nodded and his teacher frowned at him. "Why haven't they taken you to get your eyes checked?"

Harry sniffled and didn't meet his teacher's gaze. "Good-for-nothing freaks don't deserve glasses or nice things."

Mrs. Smith opened her mouth in shock and shook her head. "Who has said that to you?"

Harry realized he had said too much and knew he would be in major trouble at home if he continued. "N-nobody."

Mrs. Smith frowned. Little boy's didn't get the idea that they were "good-for-nothing freaks" out of nowhere. "Harry, I can help you."

Harry stood up and shook his head, but still didn't meet his teacher's eye. "N-no one has said anything to me, Mrs. Smith. I d-don't need help, thank you. C-can I go outside now?"

Mrs. Smith sighed but nodded. "Yes, you can go outside, Harry. I'm going to send a note to your aunt to let her know that she needs to have your eyes checked."

Harry felt as if his heart stopped. "No!" He shouted without thinking. At Mrs. Smith's look, he attempted to mend the situation. "I-I'll tell her, you don't have to-"

"Harry, come with me." Mrs. Smith said, extending her hand for him to hold. "You're not in trouble, I promise."

Harry was shaking as they walked down the hall, mentally preparing himself for a beating that was sure to come when his aunt and uncle found out what he had said to his teacher. He winced as his teacher pulled on his hand, irritating his injured wrist; however he refused to cry out, he didn't want to give his uncle more of a reason to punish him.

* * *

"Sirius, I want to let you know that the Ministry is sincerely sorry for what you have endured for the past six years, and to extend our apologies, we will grant you whatever you would like, on top of the money and Order of Merlin, First Class." Fudge said nervously, eyeing Sirius who was sitting in front of his desk.

Sirius was quiet and looking down at his lap. The day had gone by in a blur - the aurors had come and removed him from his cell, then had forcefully poured veritaserum down his throat to confirm his innocence. After this, he was allowed his first shower in years as well as a decent meal. His mind was still trying to wrap around everything that had happened - the only reason he knew he wasn't dreaming was because being around dementor's prevented good dreams. However, when Fudge mentioned that he could have anything he wanted, his muddled mind cleared: he wanted his godson.

"I want custody of Harry, sir. That's it." Sirius croaked out, looking nervously between the minister and Dumbledore.

Remus stood to Sirius's right in silent support of his long lost friend; they had an emotional reunion a few hours earlier and Remus tried to explain the day's events to his friend without overloading him with information. He had a feeling Sirius didn't take in much of what he was saying, but Remus was reassured with the fact that he at least had one of his best friends back and he wouldn't lose him again.

Dumbledore smiled and looked to the Minister. Fudge hesitated, knowing that the public would be in outrage over the idea that their savior would be with a supposed criminal; however, he had promised Black anything he desired, and with Dumbledore backing the man, Fudge had no choice but to comply. "Very well," Fudge mumbled reluctantly.

Sirius's face broke into his first real smile since being in prison. "Really?" He turned to Dumbledore as if worried the opportunity would be taken away from him. "You mean it? Harry can live with me?"

"Absolutely, Sirius. However, there are some things concerning the blood wards that I need to speak with you about before I can allow you to go and get him. I believe Mr. Fleamont Potter had a house that you two can live in until you can make other arrangements. For now, let us leave the ministry and prepare to go to Number Four, Privet Drive." Dumbledore said, motioning for Sirius and Remus to follow him.

* * *

"Mummy!" Dudley yelled once he had chased Harry into the house and pushed him into his cupboard. "Mummy, daddy, Harry got in trouble today!"

"What did the freak do?" Vernon asked his son angrily, edging towards the cupboard door. Harry began to shake as he heard his uncle approaching. He had managed to convince his headmaster that he was happy at home and things were fine, but his teacher and headmaster spoke to one another in quiet voices after he had stepped out of the office and he was worried that they would still send a letter home to his aunt and uncle.

"He couldn't read today in class and then had to miss recess and go to the headmaster's office!" Dudley said cheerily.

Harry whimpered as he heard his uncle make the last two steps toward his cupboard, and he curled up into a ball, preparing to be yanked out. However, his uncle never made it to the door - by some miracle, someone had knocked on their front door, distracting Vernon.

"I'll deal with you later, boy," Vernon whispered menacingly through the cupboard door, before standing up and going to answer.

"How can I help- _you!_ " Harry heard Vernon yell as he answered the door. He wondered who his uncle hated so much to use that tone of voice; so far, Harry had only heard him talk like that to him.

"Hello, I trust you remember me. I am Albus Dumbledore, the Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. May we come in?" Harry heard the stranger ask, his mouth open wide. Did the man say Witchcraft and Wizardry? It couldn't be true, magic wasn't real!

"Absolutely not! I will not have this freakishness in my-" but before Vernon could finish his sentence, there was a loud bang, followed by a crash. Harry heard Dudley begin to whimper and he too began to shake - who were these people, and why were they here attacking his uncle? Surely they would discover his cupboard soon and maybe hurt him too?

Harry heard what sounded like the Dumbledore man mumble something, then "Fine, I see we'll need to get right to the point then. I'm Sirius Black, and I'm here to take custody of my godson. Where is Harry?"

Harry felt his heart stop for the hundredth time that day. Did he hear that man right? He had a godfather? He was being taken away?

Harry heard Vernon whimper, then listened as steps came close to his cupboard. He began to shake - he didn't know these men, and regardless of whether or not one was his godfather, he was scared. They hurt his uncle, who was huge, who knows what they would do to him?

The cupboard door open and Harry was face to face with a gaunt, skinny man with kind grey eyes. His black hair was neatly trimmed around his shoulders and he wore a broad smile as he surveyed Harry. "Hi kiddo, I'm Sirius, your godfather."

The man seemed nice, but sometimes Vernon acted nice to get Harry's guard down, then hurt him; this made Harry suspicious, so he whimpered and moved farther back in his cupboard. The man frowned slightly before extending his hand.

"I'm not going to hurt you, puppy. I was best friends with your mummy and daddy. I'm here to take you away from here if you want me too." Sirius said gently.

After a moment of quiet contemplation from Harry, he smiled and took the hand that was extended to him. Anyone that was a friend of his mummy and daddy, he decided, would be a friend of his - not to mention, he had hoped his entire life that someone would rescue him from the Dursley's. Perhaps his godfather would finally fulfill that wish?

The man smiled and gently pulled him out of the cupboard. "Is there anything you would like to take?" He asked kindly.

Harry looked back into the cupboard and pulled out the small blanket in which he had been brought to the Dursley's house.

He stood and grabbed the boy's small hand, then turned to Vernon, who was lying in a heap against a now cracked wall. "I'm taking him with me. You didn't deserve my godson. This won't be the last you hear from us."

With that, Sirius gently led the boy out of the house, Dumbledore following closely behind. Once they reached the end of Privet Drive, Sirius turned back to face Dumbledore. "The wards are in place then?"

Dumbledore nodded. "Everything should be perfectly safe. I will leave you now and send owl for when a good time for us to meet will be."

Sirius watched as Dumbledore apparated away. Harry's eyes almost popped out of his head. Sirius turned and kneeled down in front of his godson, grinning at the astounded look on the boy's face. "Can I pick you up? I'll explain everything once we get home. We're going to apparate."

Harry nodded shyly and allowed his godfather to lift him into his arms - he hadn't been picked up since he had learned to walk, and the feeling of warmth and love was new to him. He sat stiff against his godfather, not wanting to squirm too much and annoy the man.

Sirius raised an eyebrow at his godson. "Are you uncomfortable?"

Harry shook his head, confused. Sirius smiled and held the boy closer, putting him into a position where he could rest his head on his shoulder. Harry tried his best not to, not wanting to do anything wrong and make his nice godfather angry at him, but when Sirius continued to look at him expectantly, he finally obliged. He felt his godfather hug him and was surprised by the display of affection - it was foreign to him. However, the nice feeling the hug brought was soon taken away by a suffocating darkness that made the small boy feel like he was being squeezed through a tube.

When they arrived in the living room of the small cottage, Harry had his face buried in his godfather's robes and was sniffling quietly.

Sirius stroked the small boy's hair gently in an attempt to soothe him. "I'm sorry kiddo, we won't do that again if you don't want to - I didn't meant to scare you. Please don't cry, you're safe here."

Soon his crying had ceased, and Harry looked up at his godfather curiously. Sirius smiled down at him. "I'm sure you have a lot of questions."

The boy nodded but didn't ask any. Sirius walked over to the couch and sat the small child on his lap, pulling him into another hug. "Ask anything you want, and I'll answer."

Harry was worried - whenever he asked questions at the Dursley's he was punished. This man, however, seemed nice, and he had hugged him twice in less than an hour, more than the Dursley's ever had. After having an inner argument with himself, Harry finally decided to trust him. "Who are you, sir?"

Sirius smiled warmly at Harry before answering. "I'm your godfather, Harry, which means that under no circumstances are you to call me 'sir,' okay? I'm not a sir yet, I'm still far too young and handsome for that title."

The small boy giggled a little bit before asking shyly, "What do I call you?" He didn't want to make any mistakes and make the man not want him anymore.

"Hm… whatever you want really. You can call me Sirius, or Siri if that's easier. You could call me Padfoot, Snuffles… Whatever you want, just not Mr. Black or Sir. Got it?" Sirius said.

Harry nodded and thought about another question. "How did you know my mummy and daddy?"

"Your daddy was my best friend, and once he married your mummy, she became my second best friend. We had another friend named Remus, and I'm sure you'll meet him soon. Your mummy and daddy loved you very much and wanted someone who loved you just as much to take care of you if something happened to them; that's why they asked me to be your godfather." The little boy was staring at him with wide eyes and shock playing all over his expression; Sirius had to review exactly what he had just said to make sure he hadn't accidentally let out a swear word. Why was Harry so surprised? "What is it puppy?"

"Y-you love me?" Harry asked shyly.

Sirius smiled warmly at him again. "More than anything, kiddo."

This caused Harry to smile the biggest he had in his entire life. He wrapped his arms around his godfather's neck, something he never would have done at Privet Drive, and mumbled a "thank you."

"Thank me? For what, kiddo?" Sirius asked, bewildered, but returning the hug with equal gusto.

"F-for saving me." The small boy replied simply. "Uncle Vernon w-was gonna h-hurt me today."

Sirius knitted his brow in confusion, but nodded nonetheless. Albus had planned a time in which they could discuss Harry's time with the Dursley's and how they would be punished for the mistreatment of their nephew; in the meantime, Sirius was going to show Harry how loved and wanted he is.


	2. Moving On

A/N: I've kind of decided these will be one-shots in chronological order. They will all be related in the bigger picture, but they won't be consecutive. This one was set in January of the year Harry is seven years old (1988) - I haven't decided, but the next one will be sometime later that year, with a different scenario to focus on. So no, this one isn't an immediate follow-up to the last one, but it's the exact same story, if that makes sense - just a little further in the future than if this was your average chapter story. It will make more sense once it's complete. Please review, and check out my other two stories that I'm working on as well (both involve Sirius and Harry as father and son). Enjoy!

For the first few months that Harry was with his godfather, he was frightened of him. Many accidental spills at breakfast or lunch ended in tears and lots of hugs. The first time Harry had an accident like this had been a few days after Sirius had retrieved him. It had started like any normal morning, in which Sirius cooked his godson a large breakfast to help the small child gain weight, despite Harry's insistence that he cook the food for his godfather.

"Here you go, puppy," Sirius said gently as he placed the plate of eggs, bacon, and toast in front of his godson. The little boy looked up at him with wide eyes, as if seeking permission to begin eating; Sirius mentally cursed the Dursley's for giving the child such a strong sense of insecurity, but he nodded at the boy and ruffled his hair before sitting at the table to start on his own plate of food.

He chatted with the boy amiably, asking him different things about his short life and attempting to introduce him to quidditch. "Basically you fly around on a broomstick trying to score as many points as possible in the goal posts."

"Kind of like football?" Harry asked innocently, his eyes widening at the prospect of playing a sport on a broom - the only thing he associated brooms with was cleaning, thanks to his aunt and uncle.

"Er, well, I don't really know what football is, but if it's a muggle sport then maybe - except quidditch is played in the air." Sirius explained sheepishly.

Harry crinkled up his face, as if he were straining to think very hard on the many different aspects of quidditch. Sirius couldn't help but laugh at the child's expression. "Tell you what, I'll take you to a Puddlemere United game sometime - that was your dad and my favorite team back when we followed it. You'll get a better idea of quidditch once you watch it."

Harry looked very excited at the prospect of getting to go to a game and nodded vigorously. His aunt and uncle had never taken him anywhere - he already loved living with Sirius, and the idea of going to watch a sports game made him that much happier that Sirius had taken him away from his relatives.

Harry turned back to his breakfast, reaching for some bacon, when his elbow accidentally hit his glass of pumpkin juice; it fell off the table and shattered against the tile floor, spilling juice everywhere.

"Oh, kiddo." Sirius said gently, standing up to look at the spill. "Wait right here, okay? I'll be right back." With that, Sirius retreated towards the bathroom.

Harry immediately began to shake - he had done it this time. Sure, Sirius didn't seem angry, but Harry was positive he would be punished. The rules here were different from what he was used to at the Dursleys, but Harry had made a huge mess, and that never went unpunished with Uncle Vernon. Sirius was going to get a belt to hit him with, or something worse, Harry was sure of it. The child couldn't stand the thought of his nice godfather punishing him, so he did what he thought was wise - he ran for it. As he jumped down from his chair, he felt sharp pain in his ankle from the broken glass. He didn't cry out for fear of alerting Sirius, and instead hobbled down the hallway towards his bedroom, where he took refuge in his closet.

He hadn't expected to be given a room when he started living with his godfather, and was shocked when he had first seen the size of the room - the closet itself was twice as big as his cupboard, which allowed Harry to comfortably hide away. He looked at the bottom of his footy pajamas Sirius had bought for him when he first moved in, which were now covered in blood from the glass in his foot. Harry felt tears sting his eyes - he really liked the pajamas and hated that he messed them up after spilling the juice and making Sirius angry with him. They had little snitches flying all over them; Harry didn't know what the snitches were, but Sirius told him they were worth a lot and said that he bought him the pajamas because Harry was his treasure. Not to mention, these were some of the first clothes that had ever fit him nicely and now he would be a burden to his godfather because he ruined them. With that thought, Harry buried his face in his small hands and started quietly crying, tucking himself away into a far corner to avoid being found by Sirius.

* * *

Sirius had returned from the bathroom with a wet, warm cloth, which he was going to use to wash off Harry before _scourgifying_ the mess with the glass and pumpkin juice away; however, he walked into an empty kitchen. "Harry?" He said, trying to keep his voice calm and gentle. He knew his godson didn't take well to loud noises because of his past with his uncle.

Sirius stepped closer to the chair where Harry was sitting earlier, and paled considerably when he noticed the bloody footprints on the floor leading out into the hallway. He followed this trail of blood into the hallway, past his own bedroom, and into Harry's. The footprints went into Harry's closet, and Sirius faintly heard sniffling coming from behind the closed door. Sirius's eyebrows furrowed - he was sure Harry's foot was hurting him badly, but he wasn't really sure why the boy was hiding from him. He tried to think back to when Harry had spilled the juice, to remember if he had gotten angry with the boy, but as far as he knew, he had responded in a calmly manner. Surely Harry wasn't scared of him?

Sirius walked to the closet and nudged the door open. "Harry, baby, are you okay?" He asked gently, peering in. The light wasn't on, so Sirius wasn't sure where exactly his godson was hiding, but he could hear the whimpering coming from his left. Sirius knelt down so he would be on Harry's level, and faintly saw the boy curled up in a corner.

"Come here, puppy, I'm not going to hurt you. I just want to make your foot feel better, I promise." Sirius said, a note of pleading in his voice.

For whatever reason, this only made Harry cry harder. Sirius figured the boy was having a flashback of being at the Dursley's, and he was beginning to get desperate - he needed to get the glass out of Harry's foot.

"Baby, it's okay. You're not at your uncle's house, I'm not going to hurt you. I just really want to make your foot feel better. Can I come sit with you?" Sirius cooed gently to the distressed child.

After a few more sniffles, Sirius heard a broken "yes" come from Harry and immediately moved to the boy's side. He pulled Harry into his lap and stroked his hair gently.

"Okay, puppy, this isn't going to feel very good, but I need to get this glass out of your foot so I can heal it. It will feel better very soon. Grab onto my hand here, it might help. Okay, one, two, three-" with that, he pulled the large chunk of glass out of Harry's heel, causing Harry to cry harder. Sirius banished the glass, did a quick healing charm on the gash in Harry's foot, then pulled him into a warm hug. "I'm sorry puppy, I had to get that glass out for it to feel better. Is it okay now?"

Harry nodded against his godfather's stomach and quieted his sniffles. "Sorry," the boy mumbled quietly, bowing his head.

"Why did you run, pup? I was worried about you." Sirius said, gently stroking Harry's black hair away from his tear stained face.

"Y-you were?" Harry asked, meeting his godfather's eyes with awe.

"Of course I was, I can't lose my puppy!" Sirius said with a small smile at the boy. "Will you tell me why you left the kitchen? I told you to wait there because the glass would hurt your feet if I didn't clean it up first."

Harry bowed his head again, face flushing with embarrassment. "I thought you were… g-going to get the… the belt." Harry said quietly.

"Oh, kiddo, I would never hurt you, okay? Especially not for a little accident like that." Sirius pulled the boy closer and kissed the top of his head. "Are you still hungry? I can make you more eggs. It's no trouble at all," Sirius added the last part at seeing the distressed expression on the boy's face.

With a small nod from Harry, Sirius lifted the boy into his arms and carried him back downstairs so that they could continue their breakfast where they left off, talk of quidditch returning as quickly as it had left.

* * *

The day went on in a usual fashion, with Sirius trying to keep Harry company so the two could get to know each other better. After dinner that evening, they played wizards chess, and Harry giggled at the chess pieces banter - especially when they made fun of his godfather.

"Oi! At least your guy knows what he's doing!" Harry's knight called out to Sirius's bishop.

"Yeah, well, at least you don't have to take orders from a scruffy haired bloke," the bishop called back.

"Scruffy?" Sirius asked dumbly, smirking when his godson giggled. "Think that's funny, do you?" He said, smiling and reaching around the board to tickle Harry gently. This made Harry giggle harder and soon he was in his godfather's lap, batting the hands away from his ribcage.

Sirius chuckled and then stopped tickling, instead wrapping the small boy in a warm hug. "Time for bed, I think."

Harry looked sad at this - he was having the time of his life with his godfather, and he didn't want to go to sleep yet. He knew in sleep he would have nightmares of his uncle, and he didn't want to face that after having such a nice day.

As if reading the boy's mind, Sirius kissed his head, then said, "I'll read you a story after your bubble bath, okay?"

Harry perked up at the idea of a bubble bath, though his heart started racing a bit. He had never had a decent bath in his short life - his aunt always just reused the water from Dudley's bath when he was little, so the water was always freezing cold and dirty.

Sirius set Harry down on the floor and smiled at him. "I'll go get the water running, you get your pajamas and meet me in there, okay?"

Harry nodded and left to retrieve his pajamas. His foot was already completely healed from that morning, and Sirius had gotten the blood stain out of his snitch pajamas easily, to Harry's relief. He grabbed them and walked eagerly to the bathroom, handing his godfather the pajamas before turning to the bubbles that were now floating out of his tub.

Sirius helped the boy pull his shirt off. "Can you bathe yourself or do you need some help?" Sirius asked gently.

"I can do it myself," Harry said confidently, fiddling with the button on his trousers.

Sirius chuckled as Harry struggled to undress himself, and helped him pull his pants off. "Okay, kiddo. I'll be right down the hall, so call me if you need me, okay? Especially if you run out of bubbles, we can't have that happen."

Harry giggled as Sirius ruffled his hair, then removed what remained of his clothes as his godfather walked out of the room. He left the door cracked a little so he could hear if godson needed him.

Once Harry was finished with his bath, his godfather wrapped him up in a fluffy towel and then helped him into his snitch pajamas. Sirius picked him up and carried him to his bedroom, which they had decorated in Gryffindor colors the day before; sure, Harry wouldn't be sorted for five more years, but that didn't mean that Sirius couldn't encourage him for the time being.

Sirius put Harry down on the edge of the bed, then sat beside him and leaned back against the headframe. Harry looked up at him wearily, as if he wanted to sit in his godfather's lap but didn't want to ask him; Sirius caught on immediately and pulled him so that he was lying against his chest. "There, comfortable pup?"

Harry nodded and gave his godfather a smile.

"Is there any particular book you would like to read? I bought you a few when I went to Diagon Alley the other day." Sirius said, stroking the little boy's hair.

Harry looked contemplative for a moment, but Sirius knew he was still too shy to actually ask for what he wanted. "Do you want to hear a tale from Beedle and the Bard?"

"W-what's that?" Harry asked, looking up at his godfather questioningly.

"It's a book of fairy tales for young wizards like you." Sirius said, ruffling the small boy's hair. "Want to hear one?"

Harry nodded and leaned back against his godfather's chest as Sirius reached for the book on the night shelf. "How about _The Fountain of Fair Fortune_?"

Harry nodded again and listened to the beginning of the story; however, his godfather's soft voice began to lull him to sleep and he tentatively nuzzled against Sirius's chest, secretly hoping that he wouldn't push him away. He smiled to himself when he felt his godfather lean down and kiss the top of his head, then allowed himself to drift off into a peaceful sleep.

* * *

Sirius had stopped reading once he noticed Harry had fallen asleep in his arms. He gently placed the boy in his queen sized bed, then pulled the covers up to his chin and kissed his forehead tenderly. "Goodnight puppy."

After he tucked Harry in, Sirius went to his room to card through a motorcycle magazine before he went to sleep. It had been years since he had looked at his old magazines, and they made him miss his old flying motorcycle - he would need to ask Hagrid if he still had it so he could take Harry for a ride on it.

He began to doze off while looking through pictures of muggle girls on motorcycles, when he heard a loud shout coming from down the hallway. His thoughts immediately traveled to his godson and death eaters. He shot out of bed and ran down the hall, wrenching open Harry's door and looking around frantically. Once he deduced that it was impossible for death eaters to even get into their house, he calmed down substantially and took a closer look at the distressed boy.

Harry was tangled up in his covers, cowering with fear and whimpering. He was whispering "no" continuously under his breath and wrenching himself back and forth.

"Harry? Kiddo?" Sirius asked gently, sitting on the edge of the bed and narrowly dodging Harry's foot as it kicked out from underneath his covers. He shook Harry gently a few times and the boy shot out of bed, breathing heavy and looking around frantically. When he noticed his godfather, tears sprang to his eyes and cowered away.

"I-I'm sorry, Sirius, I d-didn't mean t-to wake you u-up." Harry whimpered, bracing himself for a smack or two.

"Puppy," Sirius said gently, reaching over and lifting the boy into his lap. "Don't be sorry, even the bravest wizards have nightmares. I was still awake anyway, you weren't bothering me at all."

Harry sniffled and buried his head in his godfather's robes; he was thoroughly confused, but also relieved that Sirius seemed to be so different from his uncle. At Privet Drive, he had to be careful with his nightmares. Only once had he woken up and gone to his aunt and uncle's room for comfort - he had been smacked for waking them up and then pelted with insults until he left the room in tears. After that, there had been a few occasions in which he yelled too loud during a nightmare involving a scary man shooting a green light out of a magic wand; his Uncle Vernon had come rushing down the stairs and yanked him out of his cupboard. When Harry tried to explain what happened, Vernon gave him a hard slap on the face and insisted that magic didn't exist before tossing him back in the cupboard. Ever since, Harry had been extremely careful before bed, wrapping his head in a loose blanket occasionally to muffle any yelling and placing his only pillow at the foot of the door to prevent anyone walking by from hearing him during a nightmare.

Sirius, on the other hand, seemed to be different. He had come to his bedroom voluntarily, and not because he wanted to hit him, but because he wanted to comfort him. Harry didn't know why this stranger was being so nice to him, a good for nothing freak, but he hoped with his entire heart that it would last forever, and that he would never have see his aunt and uncle again.

* * *

The days turned into weeks, and soon Harry had been living with his godfather for over a month. Though the progress was slow, the child was coming to love his new home, and was growing into a future marauder - at least in Sirius's eyes.

"Rise and shine, pup." Sirius said one morning, plopping down on the bed beside his godson and throwing a pillow in the boy's face. Harry giggled and immediately attempted to retaliate with one of the million throw pillows he had on his bed - once Sirius had discovered that his godson had only had one shabby pillow throughout his entire life, he conjured up multiple fun shaped pillows for the child to sleep with at night. Sirius grabbed the hippogriff shaped pillow and threw it at Harry, and in return, Harry whacked him with a purple pygmy puff one.

They carried on like this for a few minutes before Harry was worn out. He was still giggling when Sirius pulled him close and kissed the top of his head. Harry loved their mornings together; Sirius always woke him up with a pillow or tickle fight, then cuddled with him for a few minutes while the house elf made breakfast for the two of them. It was in these moments that Harry felt loved and protected, more so than he ever had in his entire life.

"Did you sleep well, kiddo?" Sirius asked, nuzzling his face into the ebony locks on his godson's head.

"Yes, Paddy," Harry replied against the man's stomach.

Sirius chuckled and lifted the small boy into his arms as he stood from the bed. "Come on pup, I bet Shorty's done with our breakfast now."

"A few more minutes?" The boy asked from against the crook of the man's neck.

Sirius laughed and threw Harry into the air, catching him immediately and gently pulling him back against his side. "We don't have time for sleep today, pup! Remember what today is?"

Harry perked up at the reminder; Sirius had saved him from the Dursley's about a month after Christmas, and to make up for missing the holiday, he had bought Harry a child's broomstick to help him learn quidditch. After taking his godson to the Puddlemere United game, Harry had been smitten with the sport and begged Sirius to help him learn.

"You're really going to teach me to ride the broom?" Harry asked excitedly. At Sirius's nod, Harry wrapped his arms around his godfather's neck and thanked him profusely.

"No need to thank me, puppy. Let's just go eat breakfast so we can get out there and try out that new broom!" Sirius said, putting Harry down and laughing as the boy ran out of the room.

The two enjoyed a small feast of pancakes together, then moved to the back garden so Harry could start his first flying lesson. Sirius was both happy and relieved that his godson liked living with him, and he couldn't wait to see the young man he would one day become.

"I'll take care of him, James," Sirius whispered to himself as he watched the boy swoop in and out of rose bushes on the child's broom - he already couldn't wait to watch his Hogwarts quidditch matches, and, luckily for Sirius, those were still five years away. For now, he was going to cherish all the time he had with his precious godson and love him enough for both James and Lily combined.


	3. Broomsticks and Butterbeer

A/N: This story just makes me so happy to write. My other stories end up taking darker turns, but I plan to keep this one light-hearted and give Harry the childhood he deserved. Please review and continue to check out the other stories if you like Harry and Sirius stories. Thanks!

Over the next few months, Harry came out of his shell miraculously - he warmed up to his godfather after a few weeks of pushing the Dursley's rules and not getting punished for breaking them. Once Sirius realized that Harry was confused about what was acceptable behavior and what wasn't, he gave Harry some basic rules and reiterated that, even if Harry broke them, he would never hurt him. This didn't matter to Harry - he was going to do everything he could not to break one and make his godfather angry. He had never seen Sirius angry, and really didn't want to be the cause of it.

The rules, Harry thought, were much more simple than the one's the Dursley's had given him. He just needed to keep his room decently clean, put up his toys when he played with them outside of his room, and be nice to their house elf, Shorty. He also wasn't allowed to leave the yard without Sirius or fly too far away when he was on his toy broom alone. Harry thought it wasn't a lot to ask for, and was extremely happy he didn't get assigned chores everyday anymore.

However, over time, Harry found his curiousity got the best of him in certain situations. One day in the early spring, Harry asked his godfather if he could go outside and ride his broom because the weather was nice. It had been raining in Britain for weeks and this was the first decent day Harry had seen in a while; though he loved spending time with Sirius, he was getting bored with wizard's chess everyday.

"Yeah, of course you can go outside puppy. Just stay nearby, okay?" Sirius asked, ruffling Harry's hair before going to floo call Remus.

Harry excitedly pulled his broom out of the cupboard in the kitchen, then ran outside to start flying. The broom itself couldn't go higher than a few meters, but it was pretty fast and entertained the child to no end.

He jumped on the small broom and kicked off, flying through rose bushes and chasing fairies through the garden. One in particular that Harry had taken a liking to was green and slender, and it flew off to the side of the cottage. Harry chased it, giggling as he got closer and reached out his hand to catch it. At the last minute, the fairy flew to the left, heading out towards the forest that surrounded their cottage. Harry flew after it, too distracted with chasing the fairy to think about how far away he was flying from the wards.

He chased it past trees of all shapes and sizes, over meandering streams, and through hedges and shrubs sticking up from the forest floor. He was laughing and following the small light in front of him, having more fun than he'd had in days. He was approaching the fairy again and reached his hand out to catch it. He gently wrapped his fingers around its slender form, then slowed his broom to look at it.

"Hi!" Harry said excitedly to the annoyed creature. He smiled at it a few more minutes, then looked around at his surroundings - he was deep in the forest, and it was dark and dank from lack of sunlight. He had no idea which way was the right way home; he was stuck.

He looked back at the fairy in his hand with fear. "D-do you know h-how to g-get home?"

The fairy stuck its tongue out at the scared child, then kicked his finger so he would let it go. He released her and she flew off deeper into the forest, taking away the only remaining light Harry had.

The boy was terrified - he hadn't meant to disobey his godfather, he didn't even realize he had flown so far. Now he was alone, it was dark, and he had no idea which way to go to get home. He wanted Sirius desperately, so he did the only thing he knew to do - he started yelling for him.

"Paddy! Sirius! Hello!" Harry yelled out frantically. After a few minutes with no response, the boy slacked down against a tree and started to cry; he felt utterly hopeless.

Harry sat there for a few minutes, sniffling loudly, when he heard his name being called to the right.

"Paddy? PADDY!" He yelled out, still crying from fear.

Sirius rushed through the foliage on his broom, and was faced with a confused and crying seven year old. Any anger he had at Harry for flying off was quickly replaced with worry at the sight of his godson. "Puppy, are you okay?"

Harry nodded and buried his face in his hands. "I-I'm sorry, Paddy. I d-didn't mean to f-fly away. D-don't send m-me back p-please! I-I'll take w-whatever p-punishment you want t-to give m-me."

Sirius furrowed his brow and got off his broom. "Send you back where?"

"The Dursley's," Harry mumbled, not taking his face out of its hiding place.

"Kiddo, I would never. Let's get out of here and you can tell me how you got so far from home." Sirius said, trying hard to keep his voice gentle. He threw the child's broom over his shoulder and picked up Harry with his other arm. He straddled the broom, placing the child in his lap in front of him, then kicked off into the sky and out of the forest with ease.

Harry was still shaking from fear of his punishment and relief at being found. He was doing his best to keep his distance on the broom from his godfather, not wanting to be rejected from the only person who had ever shown him love in his short life.

Sirius had noticed this immediately, and gently wrapped his right arm around the small boy's chest. He had been angry at first when he noticed Harry had flown away, but finding the boy in tears and so apologetic had made Sirius realize that he truly didn't mean to disobey, and the man was more than willing to comfort his distraught godson.

When they landed the broom, Sirius gently put a hand on Harry's shoulder and led him inside, locking the two brooms in the closet on his way to the den. Sirius sat on the couch and placed Harry in his lap.

"Now, tell me the truth. Why did you fly into the forest?" Sirius asked gently, but firmly.

Harry looked down and blushed, embarrassed. "I-I'm sorry, Paddy. I w-was chasing a-a fairy and I-I didn't w-watch where I was g-going. I d-didn't realize w-where I was until I w-was lost. I d-didn't mean to leave." A few stray tears fell down Harry cheeks and Sirius gently rubbed them away with his thumb.

Sirius pulled the child into a hug and rubbed his back to calm him down, choosing his words carefully. "It's okay, puppy, I know you didn't mean to leave home. You worried me a lot, I thought I lost you for good."

"I-I'm so s-sorry," Harry repeated, tears staining the front of Sirius's shirt.

Sirius decided the boy knew exactly what he had done wrong and would work hard not to disobey in the future. Still, he wanted Harry to remember to follow the rules. "How about this: no flying for two weeks without me being with you, okay? We can go out tomorrow afternoon and fly together, I just want to make sure you don't get too distracted and leave me again."

Harry gave his godfather a small smile and nodded against him.

"So, you chased a fairy almost a mile into the forest? You know, your dad was a chaser and I was a beater, but it sounds like you could be a seeker if you're that focused on small, fast things." Sirius kissed the top of Harry's head gently before adding, "I'll buy a practice snitch sometime and you can try the position out. McGonagall won't know what hit her at tryouts when you get to Hogwarts."

Harry smiled a little bigger at his godfather and the two stayed cuddled up like that for the rest of the evening, both immensely relieved at having one another safe and happy in front of them.

* * *

"Paddy, can I please please go fly in the garden?" Harry begged his godfather about a week later.

"I told you we can go fly in an hour after I finish up some business inside." Sirius smirked at his godson as the boy deflated a little. "One more week and you can go by yourself again, maybe you'll remember the boundaries from now on?"

Harry nodded and pouted slightly, but smiled nonetheless when Sirius ruffled his hair. "I'm doing this because I love you, kiddo, you know that right?"

Harry nodded and smiled bigger. "I love you too, Paddy."

Sirius smiled back at the small boy then stood up from the breakfast table they were both seated at. "Alright, I'm going to take care of some things in the office and then we'll go. You can play in the office while I'm working if you want."

Harry nodded and followed his godfather into a room near the den, where Sirius had set out some toy figurine dragons to entertain his godson until they went outside.

After a few minutes of watching Harry chase the figurines and looking through his inheritance (in which he was surprised to have discovered he was included in his parent's will at all, considering the circumstances when he had gone to prison), Sirius needed to take a break.

"Ready to go flying, pup?" Sirius asked, rubbing his eyes lightly to help wake himself up.

Harry nodded eagerly and jumped up to follow his godfather outside. "Can we fly above the river again, Paddy?"

"Of course we can, kiddo." Sirius said, grabbing both brooms from the cupboard as they passed through the kitchen. They went to their front porch and Sirius handed Harry his broom and Harry immediately threw his leg over it and took off. Sirius chuckled before following the retreating form his godson out towards the river that surrounded their cottage.

"Harry! Hold on, wait for me." Sirius called out as he sped up to meet the boy.

Harry stopped and floated above a cluster of rosebushes and turned, grinning at his godfather.

Sirius zoomed past him, laughing at Harry's shocked face. "Can't catch me!" Sirius yelled back, and Harry laughed before flying after him. The two continued on like this for the afternoon, disrupting fairies and racing one another through the trees that surrounded the place. Whatever work Sirius had left of dealing with his inheritance was soon forgotten and new thoughts were replacing it: what position would Harry play on a Hogwarts' Quidditch Team? Will he be able to attend every match to watch his godson? Will Harry even want him there?

After a few minutes of contemplating his future with the child, Sirius realized he had lost sight of the boy. "Harry!" Sirius called out, slightly panicked. Before he could call again he felt a light weight jump on his back and yell out "gotcha!"

He heard Harry's laughter in his ear and felt little arms intertwine around his neck, and in that moment, he knew for certain that he was feeling the happiest he had in years.

"Trying to scare old Padfoot, ay?" Sirius asked, swinging the child around in front of him and giving him a bear hug. Harry struggled against his godfather's hold, still giggling and reaching out for his child's broom that was floating in the air beside them.

Sirius smiled down at his godson once he stopped trying to escape his hug, then kissed the top of his head. "What do you say we go grab a butterbeer?"

"What's that?" Harry asked innocently, looking up at his godfather with wide-eyes.

"It's a wizard's drink, I think you'll like it. Kind of fizzy with a hint of butterscotch." Sirius explained to the boy, who was now seated more comfortably in Sirius's lap on the broom.

"At the Dursley's I could only drink milk and water. Nothing like what Dudley got." Harry said casually, as if he had accepted that he didn't deserve the treats that were given to Dudley. "Can I try it?"

"Course you can! I'll buy you all the butterbeers in the pub if they'll let me." Sirius said, grabbing Harry's broom and throwing it over his shoulder. Harry giggled and adjusted himself more comfortably on Sirius's broom. The two took off, flying over their cottage and towards Hogsmeade. Harry had never been to the wizarding village, and Sirius decided that the boy deserved a treat - other than the flying off incident from the week before, he was very sweet and well behaved. Too well behaved for Sirius's liking, in fact, since a young boy should be curious and want to have fun, but he had four years to fix that before Hogwarts.

Sirius landed the broom off to the side of the village, away from the people meandering about the streets. It was a weekday, so the Hogwarts students weren't visiting, but he didn't want to take any chances at someone recognizing Harry before he could explain the entire story to him. Dumbledore had made it clear when Sirius took guardianship of the boy that Harry was not to know he was famous until he was older - this wasn't going to stop him from telling his godson the truth of his parents if he asked about them though.

"Here kiddo, I'm going to disguise us, okay? People still think I'm a murderer around here and I don't want them to be mean to you because you're with me." It was partially the truth, but Sirius still felt a twinge of guilt for hiding the actual reason behind their disguise. He wanted the boy to trust him entirely as he grew older, but he also knew Dumbledore's plan for Harry was important - he only wished he knew what that plan was, considering it involved his child. He would force it out of him before Harry attended Hogwarts, that would be certain.

"Okay," Harry said, and closed his eyes as Sirius gently tapped the tip of his wand to the boy's nose. Harry's jet black hair turned a sandy blonde color and his green eyes turned to blue. Freckles dotted his cheeks and his small form grew a little bit taller. Sirius did the same to his own appearance, taking on similar features to the child so that they would pass as father and son to any onlookers.

"Off we go then," Sirius said, reaching out a hand for Harry to hold. As they walked out of the alley and into the main road, Harry's eyes widened.

"Look, Paddy! A candy shop and a toy store!" Harry said, excited.

Sirius smiled at the boy. He was always so thrilled about little things, but never asked for anything he saw - he was perfectly content with just looking or appreciating something. Sirius would never understand how those muggles could hurt such a sweet, kind-hearted child.

"Why don't we go inside one of the shops, pup?" Sirius asked, picking Harry up and placing him on top of his shoulders.

"Can we?" Harry asked timidly, looking around from his perch on his godfather at all the different sights in the village.

"Of course, let's check out Honeydukes first." Sirius said, heading off in that direction. The afternoon continued on like this, the two weaving in and out of shops, finally ending up in The Three Broomsticks for a cup of warm butterbeer.

"Here you go, kiddo. Try it, I have a feeling you'll like it a lot." Sirius said as he placed the glass down in front of the child.

Harry looked at it with awe - it even appeared to be delicious and it gave off the most delightful smell. He hadn't gotten many sweets as a child, but butterscotch candy was always his favorite and this drink _smelled_ like it. He sipped it reverently at first, admiring every aspect of the sweet taste on his tongue; soon, however, he couldn't help himself, and started taking large gulps.

Sirius laughed at his godson. "I take it you like it then?" He asked once Harry had downed the entire glass.

Harry nodded. "It's the best thing I've ever tried! Didn't you say you would buy me all the butterbeers in the restaurant?"

Sirius was taken aback at first. Harry had said it timidly, but this was his first time asking for something he wanted. He was so happy that he almost agreed to it, but a voice in his head that sounded strangely like Lily reminded him just how much sugar is in one butterbeer. "I'm afraid I have to take that back, they're not the healthiest drink for a growing boy, but I'll bring you back later this week and you can have another one."

Harry nodded and looked back sadly at the empty glass in front of him.

Sirius felt a pang of guilt - Harry had been deprived of sweets his entire life and Sirius had just denied him the first thing the boy had asked for. It felt wrong, in a way, but at the same time, he didn't want Harry to grow up spoiled either. He tried another approach instead. "Awh, cheer up, puppy, don't you want to grow up big and strong? Drinking too much butterbeer makes you fat-"

"Like Dudley," Harry said at once with a grin on his face. "He would be addicted to these, and Uncle Vernon would buy them all for him if Dudley asked."

Sirius laughed and shook his head. "Exactly, and I can't have you looking like Dudley now can I? But… oh, bugger it, I guess it wouldn't hurt if you had one more. Just remember, the butterbeer and sweets are for special occasions, not everyday."

Harry looked confused. "What's the special occasion today then?"

Sirius smiled at the boy and kissed the top of his head. "Just that I love you and wanted to buy you something."

Harry wore a huge grin for the rest of the day.


	4. Separation Anxiety

A/n: Sorry it took so long, it's been a busy week! Please review and check out my other stories - "You Raise Me Up" was just updated. Thanks!

When Sirius heard the whimper at first, he assumed he was still dreaming, and rolled over on his other side. When the whimpering persisted, he realized that it was happening in reality, and the sound was coming from the corner of his bedroom by the door. He opened his eyes and whispered "lumos" to try and see what had woken him up. As he expected, his godson was in the corner, curled up into himself and crying.

Sirius felt his heartbreak for the boy and slowly sat up - he didn't want to move too quickly and startle him. Harry had improved a lot in the months since he had left the Dursley's, but Sirius knew all too well that the damage wasn't entirely healed and could come back full force with a wrong move on his part.

Harry was worried - he had woken up from a nightmare that he had often while at the Dursley's, involving an evil man, a magic wand, and a green light. Since living with Sirius, Harry had discovered that magic did exist and that his godfather wouldn't hurt him, but that still didn't stop Harry from feeling guilty for waking the man up. He wouldn't have done so, but he really loved it when his godfather comforted him, and the dream had him shaken.

"Harry?" Sirius whispered, his voice husky with sleep. "It's okay, puppy. You can come here, I'm not mad at you."

That was all the reassurance the boy needed - he practically ran to his godfather's bed and climbed on top of it.

Sirius wrapped his arms around the child's middle, pulling him close to his chest and kissing the top of his head. "You're safe now, puppy. What happened? Do you want to talk about it?"

"Nightmare," Harry mumbled, hiding his face into the crook of Sirius's neck. He felt Sirius kiss the top of his head again, and he smiled to himself. Sirius always made him feel loved, which was very different from anything than the Dursley's had ever done.

"It's okay, the nightmare's can't get you in here." Sirius said sleepily, snuggling Harry closer and urging him to fall back asleep. He was glad to comfort Harry, but it was very late and Sirius was exhausted - no one mentioned how tiring raising a seven year old would be.

"How do you know?" Harry questioned, his voice small, unsure.

"Because Paddy knows everything, remember?" Sirius said, gently poking the child in the ribcage.

Harry giggled and nodded. He did feel a lot better after talking to his godfather, but he wasn't sure what to do now. The Dursley's never let Harry into their room, much less let him sleep with them after a nightmare; he didn't want to burden his godfather, but Sirius wasn't letting him go.

"Paddy?" Harry questioned quietly, preparing to jump away if Sirius lashed out.

"Mm?" Sirius grunted, not opening his eyes.

"Why aren't you letting me go?"

"You don't want to stay with me?" Sirius asked gently, waking himself up enough to open his eyes and meet the nervous green one's in front of him. "I thought you'd be frightened to go back to sleep in your room and I want to help you."

Harry gave his godfather a relieved smile. "Yes please," he whispered, allowing Sirius to pull him close again. Sirius rubbed his back for a few minutes and before Harry knew it, he was sleeping soundly again.

* * *

Sirius woke up far too early the next morning to a chill that he had not expected. He opened his eyes to see that it was still dark outside; Shivering, he looked down to see the four blankets he had been sleeping with had been removed from his person.

He rolled over to see where they had gone, when he was faced with his godson, wrapped up in all of them. Sirius smiled to himself - it really was a cute picture, but he was freezing and wanted at least one blanket back.

"Harry, baby?" Sirius said gently, not wanting to startle the boy.

Green eyes slowly opened and met Sirius's blue ones. "Yes sir?" He mumbled groggily.

Sirius smirked at his godson. "Not sir, Paddy, remember? And can I have some of the blankets? It's really cold."

Harry nodded sleepily and untangled himself from the blankets, allowing Sirius to slip under them.

"Thanks pup - can I have a hug too?" Sirius asked.

Harry nodded again and moved closer to his godfather so he could be wrapped up in the embrace. "What time is it?" Harry asked quietly.

"It's about five in the morning. Not nearly time to wake up yet." Sirius said, nuzzling his face into the dark tuft of hair on his godson's head. Harry nodded against the man's chest and fell back into a peaceful slumber. Despite Sirius's exhaustion, he couldn't fall back to sleep. Since leaving Azkaban, he had been at his happiest since Hogwarts; however, this didn't stop the nightmares from coming.

Sirius allowed his mind to wander away from the depressing thoughts to his little godson. He was so happy to finally have Harry living with him, and he was astounded at how the scared, timid child he picked up months ago was now so bright, energetic, and trusting. Sirius was never much of an affectionate man due to his own upbringing with his psychotic parents, but lately he had been having crazy urges to hold Harry in his arms for hours at a time - currently, it was taking every bit of his willpower to keep from repeatedly kissing the boy's forehead and waking him up.

He thought with a smile of what Lily would think if she saw him now - he almost could hear her voice in his head: "I told you that you would come around, Padfoot! Kids aren't so bad, and after all, Harry adores you."

He wrapped his arms tighter around the small boy - the truth of the matter was, Sirius was enamored with the little boy, and he was absolutely terrified he would mess this parenting thing up. He needed a companion, someone to stop by once a week and check in on Harry, someone with a different perspective.

Then it hit Sirius - literally. An owl flew in the open window and dropped a parcel of cookies on top of the animagus's face. A letter was taped on top of the box and it read:

 _Padfoot,_

 _I baked Harry some cookies. I gathered from your last letter that he didn't get many sweets with his relatives, though I'm sure you're spoiling him rotten now._

 _Tell me when a good time to meet is, we haven't had much of a chance to catch up since you were released. I know you're busy being a dad now, but if you have some free time, send me a response._

 _Again, I'm so sorry for believing you had betrayed us six years ago. I miss you terribly._

 _Moony_

"Remmy, of course!" Sirius said excitedly, rereading the letter. The two friends had spent a few nights together since Sirius had been released, but raising Harry had taken priority. Sirius would love to spend more time with his old school friend, and he knew Remus would love to get to know Harry better. The only reason Sirius hadn't introduced Harry to him immediately was because of Harry's trust issues due to his abuse. Now Harry was better, and he deserved to know the great man that is his Uncle Moony.

Sirius's shout about Remus caused Harry to stir. "Daddy?" Harry questioned quietly, nuzzling himself closer to his godfather.

Sirius froze, thoughts of Remus forgotten momentarily - a myriad of emotions ran through his mind, but the main one was guilt. Harry shouldn't be calling him that, it should be used for James… but at the same time, he felt overjoyed at the display of trust from the boy he cared so much about.

Harry realized what he said and was now fully awake, looking at his godfather with fear. "I-I'm sorry Sirius, I didn't-"

Sirius shushed him with a kiss on the forehead. "Kiddo, I don't care what you call me, as long as you remember that your real dad loved you and died for you. Never forget him, okay?"

Harry beamed up at his godfather, but then confusion broke out over his small features. "W-what do you mean, died for me? Aunt Petunia said they were drunk and died in a car crash…"

Sirius felt anger course through him - what kind of low life person makes James and Lily's heroic deaths look like an accident?

"She lied… they were killed by a man because he wanted you. I… I'm not sure why, but he did and they died to protect you." Sirius explained quietly. He didn't want to reveal too much to Harry, especially at seven years old, but he deserved the truth. "They loved you so much, puppy."

Harry's bottom lip quivered and silent tears fell down his cheeks. Sirius wiped the first few away with the pad of his thumb before cuddling the child closer to him. Harry cried for what seemed like an eternity, and Sirius simply held on, trying to convey in his physical actions what he couldn't put into words. What happened to James and Lily that night was not okay, nor would it ever be, but Sirius would devote his life to do what is best for their wonderful, little son.

* * *

"Don't you want to meet Remus, kiddo?" Sirius asked, kneeling down in front of the small boy a couple of hours later. He had invited his old school friend over for lunch after he managed to console Harry, intending for him to have another adult-figure to confide in and trust; however, after explaining the story of Harry's parents death to him, he had become timid and sad. One thing that was becoming peculiar to Sirius was Harry's newfound attachment to him; since that morning, he had been following his godfather around like a lost puppy, only letting him out of his sight for things like the loo.

"I wanna stay with you," Harry mumbled quietly, his eyes looking down.

"I won't leave, kiddo, but Remus is my friend and he was a friend of your mummy and daddy. He really wants to meet you." Sirius said in a gentle manner.

This made Harry's pout become more defined. "I'll be good, I don't want you to leave me…"

"What are you talking about?" Sirius asked suddenly, surprised at Harry's words. Where had the boy gotten the idea that he was going to leave him?

"Why do I need to meet him? All I need is you, Paddy." Harry said, looking as if he really wanted a hug but was scared to reach out to his godfather.

Sirius, recognizing Harry's gesture, scooped the child up into his arms. They were in the living room, situated by the floo and waiting for Remus's arrival. "You don't _need_ to meet him, but I want you to - you'll like him a lot, and he really likes you already. He baked you those cookies I gave you this morning, remember?"

Harry nodded and pressed his head against his godfather's chest. "So you aren't going to leave with him today?"

Sirius furrowed his brow. "No, pup, I'm not. He's coming here for one purpose and one purpose only, and that's to meet you. Why do you think I'm going to leave?"

"I was bad this morning. I woke you up and I called you the wrong name and I got your robes all wet…" Harry was working himself into a state all over again, and Sirius hugged him tighter in a desperate attempt to soothe him.

"Baby, I told you, I want you to come for me if you have a bad dream. I don't care how late it is, it makes me sad when you're sad. And you didn't call me the wrong name - if you want me to be "daddy" instead of "Paddy," it doesn't matter to me. All I ask is that you don't forget James because he loved you so much. Just like I do." Sirius said placatingly.

Harry nodded and wiped at his eyes with his shirt sleeve, drying the unshed tears that resided there. "O-okay daddy."

Sirius smiled, but before he could respond, the floo chimed and Remus Lupin stepped into the cottage.

"Moony," Sirius greeted warmly, grabbing Harry's small hand gently and leading him over to where the man was standing.

"Hello, Padfoot," Remus said, giving the man a hug before turning to the small boy that was now hiding behind his godfather's leg. Remus kneeled down to be level with the child. "And you must be Harry. I knew you when you were a baby, but you probably don't remember me."

Harry looked up at the man with wide eyes and shook his head. "N-no, sorry." Harry braced himself for yelling, but the man simply smiled at the boy.

"That's okay. Sirius and I were good friends with your daddy." Remus explained gently.

Harry nodded and gave the man a small smile in return. Sirius was right, this man was nice.

"Shall we get lunch then?" Sirius asked, lifting Harry up in his arms and walking towards the kitchen. "What do you want to eat, puppy?"

"Uh, I don't know." Harry said quietly, tucking his face into the crook of his godfather's neck.

Remus looked at Sirius concerned, and Sirius sent him a look that said _we'll talk later._

"Hm, well I'll make you a ham sandwich then, I know you like those." Sirius said, plopping the small boy into a chair by the table and getting started on the food.

Lunch was a small affair, with Sirius and Remus mostly attempting to engage with Harry. The boy was persistent and only responded out of politeness and not interest in the conversation. Sirius was at a loss - Harry had really seemed to be growing and losing the mannerisms the years of abuse forced him into, but now it was as if he was back where he started.

"Here puppy, why don't you go upstairs and play with some toys okay? I'll be down here with Moony for a few minutes." Sirius suggested, wiping mustard from the sandwiches off the boy's cheeks.

Harry gave him a really sad look and nodded. Sirius caught on immediately and asked, "What's wrong, kiddo?"

"I want to stay with you, daddy." Harry said quietly, moving back beside Sirius.

"Well then, of course you can. Come on, Moony, let's go to the living room, we can watch the telly I bought." Sirius said, picking Harry up again and walking into the next room.

"I always knew you liked muggle things, Padfoot, but what made you buy a telly?" Remus asked curiously, following behind his friend.

"Harry told me he was never allowed to watch it growing up," Sirius said simply. Remus caught on to the meaning and didn't ask any more questions, inwardly seething about how terrible Harry's relatives were to him.

Sirius set Harry on his lap and turned on the telly, letting the little boy curl up against him and, after a few minutes, fall asleep.

Sirius was looking down at him fondly. "Poor thing had a rough night. He had a nightmare about Voldemort's attack. He came to my room and got a few more hours of sleep, but then we woke up at five a.m. and he told me that his aunt and uncle lied to him about James and Lily's death."

Remus looked angry. "How did he figure out the truth?"

"Oh, he didn't know it. I told him parts of it this morning, like how much his mummy and daddy loved him and that they died so he would live. He was rightfully distressed after that, so we didn't go back to sleep." Sirius said sadly, still looking at the child.

"I… I thought you said he was doing better? He still seems shy and afraid… well, I take that back, he clearly trusts you," Remus amended at seeing the way Harry was nuzzled against his godfather, his small hand gripping the front of Sirius's shirt. "But I thought you said he was better about talking and asking for things?"

"He was, he asked me to buy him every butterbeer in The Three Broomsticks just last week! I don't know what happened…" Sirius said honestly. "He's been afraid to leave me all morning, which is odd, normally he's fairly independent. I grounded him not too long ago for flying away from the cottage, and he was so annoyed when I had to fly with him for two weeks... but now he only leaves me to use the loo."

"Well, you said that you told him about how his parents died this morning… maybe he's worried you might die and leave him behind too? I know it seems a bit irrational to us, but he is only seven, it probably makes sense. It's separation anxiety, I think it happens to a lot of children when they're young." Remus suggested.

Sirius nodded. "That sounds about right, but how can I help him? How can he go to Hogwarts if he won't leave me?"

"He'll probably grow out of it, but maybe sign him back up for school next September? I know you said he had a hard time at his old school, but having some time away from you and with kids his own age will help him. Really, Padfoot, you're doing a great job, don't worry too much." Remus encouraged, smiling at the look of adoration that still masked Sirius's face as he stared at the small boy.

The two companions continued to chat for the rest of the evening, and Sirius insisted that Remus come over for lunch at least once a week, if not more. He wanted Harry to have two adults he could learn to love and trust, and knew that Lily and James would have also wanted Harry to grow up knowing their other good friend. He also planned to go out to the local primary school next week and talk about Harry attending the next term. He would do all he could for his godson, even if it meant he would have to force Harry to try new things, like school and making friends his own age.

Sirius also entertained the idea of getting in contact with a few old Hogwarts acquaintances to allow Harry to make wizard friends - if his godson truly was suffering from separation anxiety, it couldn't hurt to give him a few familiar faces for when the time to go Hogwarts came around.

Despite its necessity, Sirius shook the idea of Hogwarts from his mind. As he tucked Harry in that night, all he wanted to think about was the present, and how happy he was to have this little boy with him now.


	5. Padfoot or Snuffles?

"But, I don't want to go to the park daddy…" Harry said quietly as Sirius zipped up the boy's jumper.

Sirius frowned at his godson as he straightened out the child's clothes. "Why not, pup? There's going to be lots of kids your age there that you can meet and play with. Doesn't that sound fun?"

Harry thought of the few times he had gone to the park with the Dursleys and how Dudley and his friends would always beat him up or wouldn't let him play on the equipment. "What if Dudley's there?" Harry asked quietly, meeting Sirius's concerned blue eyes.

"He won't be, and if he is for some reason, old Padfoot will take care of him, alright?" Sirius ruffled Harry's hair affectionately and stood up, reaching for the child's hand.

Sirius was fairly confident that Dudley wouldn't be anywhere near the park they were going to - for one thing, Vernon and Petunia had been arrested for child abuse a few months earlier, and Dudley was now living with his Aunt Marge on the other side of England. It also helped that Sirius was taking Harry to a park in Hogsmeade, where Harry would be around wizarding children. Dumbledore had advised against introducing Harry in the wizarding world too young, but Sirius really wanted Harry to have some play mates, especially with his birthday coming up in a few months. What harm could come from one day in the park?

Sirius walked his godson over to their fireplace to floo, but the boy tugged on his godfather's arm before they could step in. "Can you carry me?"

"Course I can, puppy. One, two, three!" He said, picking the boy up and throwing him into the air before catching him in an embrace. "You're getting heavy, I think those nutrient potions are helping you grow big and strong," Sirius said affectionately, poking Harry in his tummy.

Harry giggled and rested his head on his godfather's shoulder. Sirius felt slightly guilty - he knew Harry wasn't very excited about going to the park. He had to do something though; ever since he had told his godson about his parents, Harry refused to leave Sirius's side for even a minute. Meeting new children would be good for the boy, Sirius decided, despite the aching feeling in his heart when he looked at Harry's downtrodden expression as they approached the floo.

"Ready kiddo?" He asked Harry once they were inside the fireplace. At Harry's nod, Sirius called out "Three Broomsticks!" and then they were whisked away.

Sirius stepped gracefully through the floo, with Harry giggling from the sensation in his arms. However, Harry's giggling soon ceased and was replaced with whimpering once he noticed the way everyone was staring at him.

"Harry Potter… and Sirius Black?" Someone said, and soon people were crowding around the two of them. Harry was clinging onto Sirius for dear life, tears staining his cheeks as he pressed his forehead to the crook of his godfather's neck. He remembered what Sirius had said the last time they went out to the Three Broomsticks - people still thought his daddy was a murderer. He was scared they were going to try and take him away from Sirius, and he cried harder against his godfather.

"FOR MERLIN'S SAKE!" Sirius finally roared, aware of how frightened his godson was - this was not going to plan at all. He felt Harry stiffen against him and instantly regretted yelling, but knew that they wouldn't get away from these people otherwise. "He's just a child, can't you tell you're scaring him?" Sirius said in a quieter voice, rubbing Harry's back gently to soothe him.

"And what's he doing with a murderer like yourself?" One of the onlookers yelled.

"I want to go home, I don't want them to take me from you!" Harry sobbed, gripping his godfather tighter.

Sirius kissed Harry's cheek as Rosmerta walked up to the crowd. "Back to your seats, all of you! Don't you read the papers? Harry's been living with Sirius for months! Leave them alone, mind your own business!"

Once the onlookers had thinned enough for both Harry and Sirius's comfort, Sirius turned to Rosmerta. "Thank you so much, Rosie." He said, giving her a charming smile, similar to what he used to do in his Hogwarts days in an attempt to get a free butterbeer.

"You used to be immature and reckless, Sirius, but I always knew you weren't a murderer and all of these people should too. How are you doing Harry?" Rosmerta asked kindly, attempting to smile at the boy that was still burrowed into his godfather's shoulder.

Sirius kissed Harry's cheek again, and then blew a raspberry against it, causing the small boy to giggle slightly and remove himself from his godfather enough to look at the bartender. "Puppy, this is Rosmerta, she's the owner here. You like her butterbeers, remember?"

Harry nodded shyly and smiled up at her. She smiled back. "What are you up to today with your-"

"My daddy," Harry interjected confidently, feeling a bit better now that everyone had quit staring.

Rosmerta laughed and nodded. "Yes, where are you two going?"

"He's taking me to the park," Harry said excitedly, liking the nice lady more by the minute.

"The park huh? We'll you'll get thirsty out there, I better get you a butterbeer so you can stay hydrated." Rosmerta said, turning to go behind the bar.

"Rosie, you don't have to-" Sirius started, but was stopped by her waving him off.

"Don't worry about it Sirius, it's on the house. Consider this your reward for all the times you tried to get a free one when you were young." She said with a smirk as she poured a butterbeer into a togo cup for Harry. "Here you go, sweet boy."

Harry beamed at her and took a sip from the straw. "Thank you!" He exclaimed as Sirius began to carry him out of the pub.

"Alright, kiddo, time for the park." Sirius said, putting Harry on the ground and grabbing his hand so they could walk over. Harry was happily sipping from his butterbeer, all worries from the morning forgotten as they approached the swingset.

"How about you go play at the slides and I'll sit on that bench over there and watch you?" Sirius suggested when they arrived. Harry gave his godfather a timid look and nodded obediently, but Sirius knew he wasn't happy with the arrangement. "Do you want me to push you on the swings for a little while?"

Harry perked up and nodded. "Yes, please."

Sirius smiled warmly at his godson, then helped him into a swing and started pushing. Harry was giggling joyously at how high the wizard swing sets went, when the little red head beside him yelled out "I can go higher than you!"

"Ron," the boy's father said with good-natured exasperation. "Not everything has to be a competition."

Ron, ignoring his father, beamed at Harry. "My name's Ron Weasley and that's my dad! What's your name?"

Harry looked back at Sirius wearily, from where he had slowed down on the swing, and Sirius nodded reassuringly. "I-I'm Harry."

Ron had stopped his swing entirely and jumped off of it. "Cool, do you want to go play over there? My brother's Fred and George are practicing quidditch, they might share their brooms!"

"I love quidditch," Harry said timidly.

Looking at his godfather one more time for reassurance, Sirius smiled and playfully swatted his godson's backside. "Go have fun, pup."

Sirius moved over to a bench near where the boys were playing and started talking to Ron's dad amiably. Though Arthur was ten years older than Sirius, they had been familiar with one another during the wizarding war, since they both worked for the ministry. Arthur was also around during Pettigrew and Sirius's trials, being that it was his son's rat that proved Sirius's innocence. However, after a few minutes of chatting, Sirius noticed a few new people had joined his godson and the Weasley children. "Arthur, does that child look oddly like Lucius Malfoy to you?"

Arthur turned his head abruptly to see the blonde-hair child stealing his son's broomstick. "It wouldn't surprise me, and if that's Lucius's son, then the man himself is probably around here somewhere."

Sure enough, Lucius was approaching the group, his eyes trained on Harry. Sirius growled and stood up. "I'll be right back," he said to Arthur, going behind a nearby tree and changing into his animagus counterpart.

He approached Lucius Malfoy as Snuffles, who was now standing over Harry.

"So, Mr. Harry Potter, is it? I've been wondering where you have been. What a disgrace, living with that blood traitor of a godfather." Lucius drawled, surveying the seven year old.

To Sirius's surprise, Harry didn't cower away. At the insult to his beloved godfather, he stood up straight and looked Malfoy directly in the eye. "Don't say a word against my Paddy."

Before Harry could say anything else or Lucius could retaliate, Sirius pounced, dragging and pulling on the pure-blood's robes. This time, Harry did cower away, not knowing that the giant dog was his godfather and only having bad experiences with his aunt's dogs in the past.

Ron, Fred, and George had run back to their father at the sight of the grim, and now Harry stood a few feet away from the spectacle.

"Father!" The blonde boy that had been tormenting the kids shouted, jumping off the stolen broom and moving closer to where Harry stood.

Lucius finally got the upperhand, and pointed his wand at the dog. "Avada-"

But the dog was too quick - it charged away behind the tree before Lucius could finish the incantation.

Lucius considered chasing the dog, but seeing as the experience had been humiliating enough, he grabbed his son's arm and began to stalk off. "You better watch your back, Potter." He added as he passed Harry, a hint of loathing in his voice.

Harry was still terrified of what had just happened, so he looked around desperately for his godfather. When he didn't see Sirius, he ran over to the Weasleys. "Have you seen Sirius?" Harry asked shyly, looking back from Ron to his dad.

Before Mr. Weasley could answer, Sirius walked up behind his godson. "Are you alright, Harry?"

"Daddy!" Harry exclaimed, jumping into his godfather's arms.

Sirius kissed Harry's head gently. "That's enough excitement for one day, I think. Mr. Weasley, I'll owl about Ron, Fred, and George coming over one day?"

Mr. Weasley nodded, but looked at Sirius wearily. "Of course… but does the ministry know you're an animagus?"

Sirius nodded sheepishly. "They didn't for a few years, but I registered when I got out of Azkaban. They didn't fine me for not doing it sooner since I was unjustly imprisoned for so long."

Arthur smiled and nodded. "Just thought I would check, if you hadn't registered and I saw you transform I would have to report it. But yes, I'll have Molly send an owl later this week about the kids coming over. Goodbye, Harry."

"Goodbye," Harry said politely, waving at his friends. He turned in his godfather's arms to face him. "Daddy, did you see the dog? It was twice as big as I am!"

"Yeah," Sirius chuckled, "I did. I guess I need to show you something when we get home."

"What? Is it a surprise? Another butterbeer?" Harry asked excitedly.

Sirius laughed and placed his godson on his shoulders. "It's not more butterbeer, no, but it is a surprise. I think you'll like it once you understand."

Harry nodded and preoccupied himself on the walk back to the floo by playing with his godfather's dark hair. After successfully navigating through the Three Broomsticks without drawing too much attention and flooing home, Sirius sat Harry down on the couch.

"Okay, puppy, so you know magic is real, right?" At Harry's nod, Sirius continued. "Okay, well, some wizards can do a really advanced form of magic where they can change into animals. Your real dad could, and so can I, do you want to see?"

Harry nodded again, this time looking very eager. "What kind of animal, daddy?"

"You'll see - just know that even though I might look big and scary, I would never hurt you, okay?" At Harry's final nod, Sirius transformed with a small _poof_ sound.

"Woah!" Harry exclaimed at seeing the gigantic dog that now stood in Sirius's place. "You were the dog that jumped on that man? Cool!"

Harry excitedly walked forward to pet the large black dog, who licked the small child's face repeatedly. Harry giggled as the dog playfully nudged him onto his bottom and then flopped down into the boy's lap. "You're a lot nicer than Aunt Marge's dogs. One time, one chased me up into a tree, and then I got stuck up there. No one would help me down, so I had to wait until late that night to jump down myself."

The dog was staring at Harry intensely and Harry giggled, not realizing that Sirius could completely understand everything he had just said to him as a dog. Harry had only talked about the Dursley's treatment a handful of times, but the few times he had, had broken Sirius's heart.

Sirius was taken out of his thoughts by Harry scratching him behind the ears. "What do you like to be called as a dog? You can't be "daddy" right now because I'm the boss of you, since you're a pet."

Sirius immediately turned back into his human form and grabbed his godson, tickling the small boy gently. "What was that, puppy? The boss of me? I don't think so."

Harry giggled and attempted to squirm away from his godfather. "Daddy, stop!" He shrieked, as Sirius pulled him closer.

Sirius took mercy on the boy and quit tickling him, leaving the child panting in his lap. "And by the way," Sirius started once Harry had caught his breath. "Everyone called me Padfoot when I was a dog… well, your mother called me Snuffles, but I wasn't very fond of that one-"

"I like Snuffles!" Harry said excitedly.

"Of course you do… I'm starting to think you are your mother's son." Sirius said, barking laughter and rolling his eyes. "I'll make you a Marauder, yet."

Harry smiled at his godfather and snuggled up to him. Holding the small boy close, Sirius knew immediately that no matter what happened with Harry's anxiety or new friends, everything would be okay in the end.


	6. Harry's First Birthday

A/N: Sorry it's taken so long! Enjoy and Review!

"Thanks for coming to help out, Moony. This is going to mean so much to Harry," Sirius said to his old school friend as the two prepared a feast of pancakes, sausages, and pumpkin juice for Harry's birthday breakfast.

"I think you've planned out the perfect day, Padfoot," Remus said warmly as he poured the glasses of juice. "Flying, shopping in Diagon Alley, and a party with the Weasley's - sounds like a great eighth birthday to me."

"Don't mention the party to Harry yet, though, that's going to be a surprise. It was nice of Molly to volunteer the Burrow, I don't think I could have made it a surprise if we had to have it here." Sirius said, putting the final touches on Harry's breakfast. "Anyway, I'm going to wake him up. You wait here; he's going to be so excited when I tell him you're here for his special day."

Remus chuckled and sat down in one of the two chairs situated by Harry's, which had been decorated with balloons.

Sirius walked down the hall and quietly opened Harry's door. The boy was nestled under his covers, hugging the stuffed stag that Sirius had bought him a few weeks ago. It was one of Harry's favorite toys by far, and it made Sirius's heart clench to see him hold it the way he was now. Harry was always so grateful and gentle with all the toys he was given, and this only made Sirius want to buy him more because he was such a good child. Luckily, today was the day to do just that, so with that thought, Sirius moved promptly to the boy's bed. He turned into Padfoot, then jumped on top of the bed, licking the boy's face.

Harry's eyes shot open, and when he saw who his attacker was, he began to giggle. "Snuffles! Stop!"

Sirius moved to the other side of Harry's bed, then changed back into his human form. He pulled his godson close to his chest and kissed the top of his head. "Happy Birthday, puppy."

Harry looked up at his godfather with wide-eyes. "W-what?"

"It's your birthday today. You know that right?" Sirius said, a frown starting to form on his face.

Harry nodded slowly and looked down at his feet, which were covered in his favorite snitch footy pajamas. "Yes, but no one's ever told me happy birthday before."

Sirius sighed - it had been months since he had gotten Harry from the Dursley's, and their treatment was still affecting his poor boy. "Well, I'm going to make up for that. You're about to have the best eighth birthday in the history of eighth birthdays. Okay puppy?"

Harry nodded and accepted another hug from his godfather, this time hugging him back with as much gusto as his eight year old self could manage. "Let's go downstairs and eat some breakfast before we get started with your birthday plans." Sirius said, lifting Harry up and putting him on his back. "Oof - you're getting so big and tall, kiddo. I won't be able to lift you for much longer."

Harry frowned and nuzzled into his godfather's neck. He loved when Sirius carried him around; he had missed out on that and so many other little things that all young children need while living with the Dursley's. He knew it was a good thing that he was growing and getting to the proper size of other children his age, but it still made him sad.

Sirius noticed Harry's downtrodden expression and smirked. "No sad faces today, pup, I can still lift you." He said, twirling Harry around and managing to throw him into the air. He pulled him back into his arms and into a hug, then walked towards the kitchen. He plopped Harry into the birthday chair, then placed a candle in the boy's stack of pancakes.

"Hi, Moony," Harry said with a small smile as the man ruffled his hair.

"Happy Birthday, Harry," Remus said as Sirius sat down at Harry's right side. "You better blow out that candle and make a wish."

Harry nodded and scrunched up his face as if thinking really hard about something. He relaxed his face a moment after and frowned down at his pancakes.

"What's wrong, pup?" Sirius asked, brushing Harry's bangs back from his face.

"I don't know what to wish for," Harry said, looking up at his godfather with wide eyes. "I don't need anything."

"Wish for what you want then, kiddo," Remus suggested, pushing the pancakes a little closer to Harry. "Isn't there anything your little heart desires?"

Harry thought hard for a moment, then smiled and blew really hard on the candle. Sirius laughed and removed the candle from Harry's pancakes. "What'd you wish for?"

"Butterbeer!" Harry said eagerly, looking up at his godfather with a hopeful expression.

"Well, all I have here is pumpkin juice, but I'm sure we can get you some butterbeer today," Sirius said as he leaned down and kissed his godson's head. "For now, eat up."

Harry readily agreed to the command, and began shoveling his favorite breakfast into his mouth. Remus and Sirius dug into their own breakfasts, smiling at the young boy's exuberance for the day ahead.

When the three were finished with their meal, Harry ran upstairs to get dressed while Sirius and Remus prepared to floo to Diagon Alley to shop. Sirius had already bought his godson plenty of presents, but he wanted to let Harry pick out something, since he was still really shy about asking for things he wanted. They would also, he decided, pick up a butterbeer at the Leaky Caldron before getting ready for his surprise party.

Harry ran down the stairs and skidded to a halt in front of Sirius, who chuckled and lifted him up, swinging him around onto his hip. "Ready to go, pup?"

Harry nodded eagerly and watched as Remus disappeared behind the green flames. Sirius stepped into the fireplace after him and called out "Leaky Caldron!" before they were both swept away to the pub.

Like usual, Harry was giggling as they stepped into the pub - he loved using the floo because of the funny, spinning sensation it gave to the people traveling. Once they were situated inside, Sirius set Harry down and grabbed his hand. "Stay close to me, pup, it's going to be crowded out on the street, okay?"

"Yes, daddy," the boy said, squeezing his godfather's hand as they walked out towards the alley. Sirius and Remus led Harry to Madame Malkin's robe shop to buy new wizarding and muggle clothes. Though Sirius had just done this a few months prior, the nutrient potions were really working and the boy was growing like a weed. Currently, his new jeans didn't cover his ankles and the shirt looked short as well.

"Mr. Black, Mr. Lupin," the seamstress greeted as they walked in. "What can I do for you gentlemen today?"

"Measurements and new clothes for my godson," Sirius said, gently nudging Harry forward towards the measurement stand. The seamstress smiled kindly at the boy, but Harry still looked slightly fearful as he took a place on the stand. Once she had gotten the proper measurements and started making Harry's robes, Sirius led him over to the muggle clothes section and let him pick out new jeans and shirts.

"You just bought me clothes, though," Harry said as Sirius lifted up a jumper and asked Harry what he thought about it.

"You're growing up, Harry, and growing boys need new clothes," Remus said, grabbing another pair of jeans in Harry's size.

"I don't have any money though," Harry mumbled, looking up at his godfather with pleading eyes. He hated to be a burden to his daddy after the man had been so kind to him.

Sirius frowned and kneeled down to Harry's level in an attempt to soothe the boy. "Harry, what have you been calling me since you came to live with me?"

"D-daddy?" Harry said quietly, looking confused.

"That's right, kiddo. And what do daddies do for their kids?" Sirius asked gently, wanting Harry to see that this is what normal families are like, and he shouldn't feel guilty for Sirius buying him necessities.

Harry looked down at his feet, but his godfather prodded his chin up so his gaze could meet the kind grey eyes. "Buy them stuff they need. But, I don't _need_ any of this, I've got clothes." Harry attempted to insist.

Sirius smirked at his godson's determination, and wrapped an arm around the boy's shoulders, pulling him to his side. "You heard Remus: growing boy's need new clothes and I'm going to get you some."

"But there's no need-" Harry started, only to be cut off by his godfather.

"Then humor me. Okay?" Sirius said, pressing a kiss to the boy's head and then standing up. He pulled Harry forward to look at the Gryffindor t-shirts and Remus followed along behind them, smiling at the two.

Once Harry had gotten a new wardrobe, the three walked over to Quality Quidditch supplies so Harry could pick out a present. Harry looked around the shop in awe - quidditch had quickly become one of the boy's favorite things, and seeing all of the broom supplies, sport materials, and books laid out across the shelves in the crowded shop made him very excited. A golden snitch hovered in front of Harry's face for a second and the boy immediately grabbed it, causing both Sirius and Remus to laugh.

"Told you he'd be a seeker, Moony," Sirius said, smiling as his godson let go of the ball sheepishly. "See anything you want, puppy?"

Harry looked up at his godfather with wide eyes. "I get something?"

"Of course you do, it's your birthday." Sirius said gently, picking Harry up so he could look at the things on the top shelf.

Harry still didn't believe it. "But you already bought me clothes!"

Remus looked at Sirius sadly - he hated how insecure Harry was about simple childhood things like getting a birthday present.

Sirius frowned at his godson, but kissed the boy's cheek before putting him up on his shoulders. "See anything you want up there? You can get anything your little heart desires."

Harry still couldn't believe his luck, but he humored his godfather and looked on the top shelves. He wasn't sure what more he could have - Sirius had already been so kind to him the past six months. He had bought him a child's broom, all sorts of magical toys and stuffed animals, books, and clothes that fit him perfectly. In his mind, he didn't need much else, but his godfather seemed determined to buy him something so he didn't want to be ungrateful.

He looked around and set eyes on something that he would like, but it was too big, surely. Sirius wouldn't want to spend that much on him… it wouldn't hurt to ask though, he supposed that's what his godfather wanted him to do.

"Daddy?" Harry said timidly, touching the top of his godfather's head from where he was perched on his shoulders.

"Yes, puppy? See something you like?" Sirius asked, taking Harry off his shoulders and placing him on his hip.

Harry nodded shyly and pointed at the child's quidditch equipment set over in the corner. It came with a quidditch how-to-play coloring book and guide, two plush bludgers that flew around a few meters off the ground, a lightweight quaffle, two goal posts that were a few meters tall, and a tiny golden snitch. The sets were typically used in little league quidditch to teach young wizards how to play, and Sirius was glad to buy it for his godson - it would be a lot safer and easier than using the actual equipment, until he was a little older of course.

"Of course you can get that. Maybe, Ron, Fred, and George can come over and play with you next week." Sirius said, gripping Harry a little tighter as he reached up for the set. "You're sure this is what you want?" He asked as they walked toward the counter, Remus following behind.

Harry nodded, shocked that Sirius was really going to buy him the present - it seemed so big and expensive, and he felt extremely guilty for making his godfather spend so much on him. He thought for sure he would have told him no. He tucked his face into the crook of his godfather's neck and closed his eyes tightly to avoid crying.

Sirius looked to Remus for help as he paid for the toy; Remus smiled back at him sadly, then gently prodded the little boy's side. "Hey kiddo, cheer up. You're going to have so much fun with that quidditch set."

Harry sniffled and shook his head slightly. "I-I know, b-but you d-didn't have to s-spend so much on m-me."

"Of course I did, kiddo, it's your birthday! If it will make you feel better, I'll try not to spoil you too much for the rest of the year," Sirius said with a laugh.

"Like that's going to happen," Remus said good-naturedly to his friend, before turning to Harry. "He bought you the present because he loves you and you deserve presents on your birthday like other good boys. You've been very well-behaved. You understand that, don't you Harry?"

Harry nodded, but still didn't remove himself from his godfather's hold as they walked out of the store.

The three walked to the Leaky Caldron, and Sirius set Harry down in a booth. "Uncle Moony and I are going to grab you a butterbeer, wait here okay?"

Harry looked positively panicked when he found out his godfather was buying him something else. "You don't have to, daddy-" he started to insist, but was cut off by his godfather shaking his head.

"I want to buy you one, pup. That was your one heart's desire this morning, and you've been a very good boy so I'm going to buy you one." Sirius said firmly. His tone, though kind, let Harry know that he shouldn't argue. The boy looked positively miserable as they walked up to the bar.

"He's going to have a panic attack when he sees the other stuff you bought him tonight at the party," Remus mumbled and Sirius shook his head.

"You would think I'm punishing him… any other child would love to get whatever they want all day." Sirius said sadly, looking at the pitiful form of his godson hunched over at the booth.

"Sadly, not your child. I think it's an issue of insecurity, in his mind he's not worth spending all that money on." Remus said thoughtfully.

"I'm trying to change that though…" Sirius said helplessly as the barman handed them the drinks.

"You're doing brilliantly, Sirius. Lily and James would be so happy with how much you've loved and cared for their son." Remus said reassuringly as they turned to walk back to the table.

Sirius sat beside Harry and passed him a butterbeer. The little boy looked up at him nervously, and at Sirius's reassuring nod, he drank it gratefully.

"Is it good?" Remus asked kindly, nursing his tea while Sirius shot back his firewhiskey.

"Delicious," Harry said, looking the happiest he had all day. Sirius smiled, relieved that he seemed to be feeling a little better.

"After this, we'll head back to the cottage and break out that new quidditch set, okay? Then Remus and I have some dinner plans for you." Sirius said. Harry nodded timidly, but the butterbeer was giving him a warm and happy sensation, and it was hard to feel guilty when his godfather was pulling him close to his side and pressing a kiss to his head.

* * *

The rest of the day flew by and soon the three were preparing to floo over to the Weasleys; Harry, however, was still being kept in the dark about the party, and was thoroughly curious about where they were going that evening.

"Why can't I know, daddy?" Harry asked, following Sirius around as he collected the things they would need at the Burrow.

"Because it's a surprise - don't worry, you're going to like it," Sirius added at seeing Harry's worried facial expression.

Harry and Sirius walked to where Remus was standing beside the floo and Sirius swung Harry up onto his hip. "We'll go first Moony," Sirius said, not wanting to ruin the surprise for Harry. Of course, Harry would hear Sirius call out "The Burrow," but he hoped it would happen so fast that the boy wouldn't register what was going on until after everyone had called out "Surprise!"

"Ready, pup?" Sirius asked as he grabbed the floo powder out of the pot beside the fireplace.

Harry nodded nervously, and then Sirius shouted out the location, and the two of them went spinning into the Weasley's living room. Before Harry could even lift his head up and get a proper look around, people were shouting "Happy Birthday!" and walking up to greet him.

At first Harry seemed frightened due to his disorientation, but once he saw his best friends running up to him, he immediately squirmed out of Sirius's arms to see them. His godfather chuckled as he set him on the ground gently, before turning to Molly. "Thank you so much for helping us celebrate his birthday - it's been a strange day, but I know this means a lot to him."

"Of course, Sirius, he's such a sweet lad." Molly said kindly, watching the boys talk excitedly to one another. "Has he been doing better since your last letter?"

"We've just been taking it one day at a time. Memories of abuse die hard," Sirius said quietly, averting his eyes at the last part.

Remus understood that his friend was thinking of his own past abuse, so he abruptly changed the subject. "So before we start the presents, Molly, I think we should give Harry his cake. He sort of had some trouble accepting his first present this morning, so we're worried he's going to be overwhelmed when he sees everything else. The cake will put him in a good mood and hopefully remind him that he's the birthday boy and he's supposed to get presents today."

Molly nodded kindly and called the kids over to the dining table, where a snitch shaped cake was placed in front of Harry's chair. The child's eyes widened at the ornately decorated cake, and he looked up to his godfather for reassurance. "I get another wish?" He asked timidly.

Sirius smiled and nodded. "You sure do. You can wish for whatever you want."

"But I already have everything I want," Harry said confidently.

Sirius felt his heart clench at the sincerity behind his godson's words. "I'm glad puppy, but you still have to make a wish and blow out the candle - wax will get all over your cake and that will be yucky."

Remus snickered beside his friend. While Harry blew the candle out, Sirius turned towards him with a raised eyebrow. "What's so funny?"

"You really are becoming a dad aren't you? The deep and rebellious Sirius Black using words like 'yucky?' That's unheard of," Remus said with a smile, but his teasing was kind.

Sirius rolled his eyes with a smile, and turned back to his godson, who was watching Molly slice the cake now. "What'd you wish for this time, kiddo? More butterbeer?"

Harry shook his head and looked up at his godfather. "No, I didn't wish for that." He hesitated for a moment before motioning for Sirius to come closer so he could whisper it. Once Sirius was leaned down beside him, Harry said, "I wished that I would get to live with Moony and you forever."

Sirius looked at his boy, shocked, but held himself together. He kissed Harry's head gently, and then said, firmly, "You always will. Okay? You can't get rid of me that easily."

Harry grinned goofily up at him, then turned back to his cake excitedly. The rest of the night passed fairly easily, and Harry was very grateful for all his presents, though definitely overwhelmed at the amount - he hadn't expected anything more after the trip to Diagon Alley. Even the Weasley's, who struggled with money, had bought him a couple of things, including a few wizarding books, since Harry was so fascinated with their world.

Remus stayed for an hour after they returned to their cottage, then bid Harry a "Happy Birthday," before returning to his own house.

"Alright puppy, I think it's your bedtime." Sirius said, gently lifting Harry up from where he was playing with his new toys in their living room. Harry nodded and yawned, then rested his head on his godfather's shoulder as he climbed up the stairs.

The boy was practically falling asleep as Sirius changed him into his snitch pajamas and by the time Sirius was finished, Harry's eyes were closed and his small fist was attached to his godfather's shirt front. Sirius smiled and made to remove himself from the boy's grasp, but then Harry's eye's fluttered open and he made a sound of disapproval.

"You've had a big day," Sirius said gently, pushing the covers back and tucking Harry in. "Get some rest and we'll play again tomorrow."

"Stay…" Harry whimpered quietly, though his eyes were already beginning to close again.

Sirius smiled and kissed the boy's forehead tenderly. "Of course I will. Forever." He whispered, before sitting on the edge of the bed and stroking the boy's hair until he was sure he was fast asleep.


	7. Sick Puppy

A/N: Sorry it's taken so long! I had a bit of writer's block, but here's the next installment. Read and review!

Sirius woke up a few mornings later to a suspiciously quiet house. In the past few weeks, Harry had often been the first to wake up in the mornings, and took great pleasure in bursting into his godfather's room and attempting to scare him by jumping on the bed. Though it was a little disorienting, Sirius didn't mind the rude awakening one bit; it showed that Harry trusted him enough to try and prank him, and that meant way more to him than a few extra minutes of sleep.

This morning, however, had started out differently. Looking at the clock, Sirius noted it was nine in the morning - they had both overslept. Sirius got up and walked over to his godson's room, gently opening the door and stepping inside.

Immediately, he noticed that Harry was curled up in a ball with all the blankets covering him. He frowned and approached the bed. "Puppy, you're going to smother yourself if you sleep like that." He gently pulled the blankets from around his head, and Harry immediately made a sound of protest, but didn't attempt to fight Sirius for the blankets. Instead, he began to shiver violently. At this reaction, Sirius's frown deepened and he gently pushed Harry's fringe off his forehead, simultaneously feeling for a fever.

"Awh, puppy. I think you're sick," Sirius said gently, sitting down on the edge of the bed. "You've got a fever and you're breaking out in some type of rash," Sirius noted, stroking his hand over the purple-green spots dotted on the child's cheek. "What hurts?"

Harry shivered some more, causing Sirius to reach out and lift the boy against his chest, wrapping him securely in the blanket. "I can't help you feel better if you don't tell me what's wrong kiddo," Sirius said, trying to prod an answer out of his godson.

Harry snuggled closer to his godfather, but he still shivered. "My tummy hurts and my head and… my nose is stuffy." Harry mumbled weakly. "I'm really cold, daddy." He added as an afterthought, and Sirius crinkled his brow.

"Here," Sirius said, gently standing up and carrying Harry towards his bathroom. "Let's get you in a warm bath and then we'll go to St. Mungo's, they'll know what to do."

"What's St. Mungo's?" Harry asked, his voice scratchy.

"It's a wizard hospital. They'll take care of you there." Sirius said, kneeling down beside the bathtub and turning the water on while still managing to hold Harry in the blanket.

"You won't leave me, will you?" Harry asked, looking slightly panicked.

Sirius shook his head kindly, simultaneously testing the water to see if it was at the correct temperature. "Of course I won't, puppy, I'll be there the entire time."

Once he got the water to a warm temperature, he removed Harry of his pajamas and gently placed him in. Despite the heat from the water though, the child was still shivering as Sirius ran a wash cloth up and down the boy. He also noted that the spots he saw earlier covered Harry entirely.

Now thoroughly concerned, Sirius pulled Harry out of the bath tub and redressed him before flooing out the house and straight to St. Mungo's. He had re-wrapped Harry in a blanket and was cradling him against his chest, both to keep his godson warm and to avoid any public scrutiny of the "Boy-Who-Lived."

He walked upstairs to the pediatric ward, then immediately went to the receptionist's desk. The lady was younger, with kind features, chestnut brown eyes, and a wide smile. If Sirius wasn't so worried about his child, he might would have considered hitting on her. The conditions being what they were, though, he got straight to the point.

"My name's Sirius Black and I'm here concerning my godson, Harry Potter. He woke up this morning really sick and I'm worried." Sirius rushed out, looking desperately at the door where the healer would come retrieve them.

"Okay, just fill out this paperwork and I'll send a healer right out to take a look at the lad." The receptionist said gently, passing Sirius the paperwork and giving him a look of admiration. "You know," she started again as Sirius filled out the paperwork with his right hand while simultaneously holding Harry close with his left. "We don't see many dad's here in pediatric ward. Is your wife at work today?"

Sirius smirked despite his worry and shook his head as he passed the receptionist the paperwork. "Never got married. Not to sound conceited, but I'm surprised you haven't heard of me. Gave the ministry quite a turn earlier this year when my innocence came up. Surely you've heard of Harry?"

The receptionist nodded kindly at the boy, who was snuggled up against Sirius, his face pressed into the crook of his godfather's neck. "Of course I have, but I knew his parent's had passed away. I didn't know who you were though, or why you have him. What do you mean when you say your 'innocence came up?'"

"Er… it's a long story," Sirius said sheepishly, looking down at Harry to ensure he wasn't getting worse off.

"Well, I see you have your hands full today, but if he feels better in a few weeks and you'd like to tell me about your long story, feel free to write me a letter by owl post." The receptionist handed Sirius a card with her name on it and she smiled at him as he thanked her and walked over to take a seat in the waiting room.

He smiled down at the business card for a moment. "After six years in Azkaban, I've still got it," he said quietly, a smug grin playing on his features.

"Got what?" Harry asked, pulling away to look at his godfather questioningly.

Not realizing Harry had heard him speak, he chuckled quietly and shook his head. "I'll tell you when you're older. How are you feeling?"

Harry shrugged and leaned back into his godfather. "Bad," he mumbled simply.

Sirius nodded at the child's response and pulled him closer, gently rubbing his back through the blanket that was wrapped around him. "The healer will make you feel better, and if that doesn't work, daddy will take care of you. Okay?"

Harry nodded against Sirius's shoulder and closed his eyes, allowing sleep to claim him until the healer came out to get them. Truth be told, Sirius didn't know what he would do if Harry had gotten a deadly disease that the healer's couldn't cure - he was just a little boy, and after James and Lily's sacrifice, he should be able to live a long and happy life. A few agonizing minutes passed, and the healer finally called Harry's name. She had short blonde hair and and pale skin, but seemed exceptionally kind. Sirius followed her into a smaller examination room and took a seat in one of the chairs, still holding Harry's shivering form close to his chest.

"Hello, Mr. Black, my name is Healer Norris." The lady introduced herself, smiling down at the two. "What seems to be the problem with young Harry?"

Sirius looked down at the boy, examining him to make sure he wouldn't miss any of the ailments. "He overslept this morning, which is unlike him. When I went to wake him up, he was burrowed deeply under the covers and shivering - he's been unnaturally cold since then. He says his stomach and head hurts, and his sinuses are bothering him. Also he has these spots, which reminded me of Dragon Pox from when my younger brother and I had it as children."

It was true that Sirius did have the deadly disease as a child, and fortunately for him, that was when his parents still cared enough for their supposed heir to have him treated. He hoped that Harry's wouldn't be nearly as painful as his own experience had been - the disease could potentially cause major discomfort and pains.

"Can I take a look at him up on the table?" The healer asked gently, noticing Sirius's worry. At the panicked glance she received from him upon her suggestion, she reworded the request. "I'll be very careful with him, Mr. Black, I just need to check him for the disease. You can sit up there with him if that will make you feel better. I know how scary your child being sick can be."

Sirius nodded and stood up, gently placing Harry on the table and sitting beside him. Immediately the boy leaned into his godfather and started shivering again. The healer made to lift up Harry's shirt and Harry whimpered and flinched away, looking up at Sirius as if the man had betrayed him.

"Baby, it's okay." Sirius said gently, stroking Harry's hair as the healer reattempted to get a look at the child. "She needs to have a look at you to make sure you're going to be okay. She wants you to grow up to be big and strong too, and she won't be able to tell unless you let her look. I'm right here, it's okay."

As he whispered the reassurances, the healer's expression grew concerned. It was true that no child truly enjoyed visiting the doctor, but Harry's insistence to stay hidden against his guardian, especially at his age, was unique. Most boys by this time were too proud to even be seen hugging their parents, much less being cuddled up to them. Regardless, she continued to check over the child, and, finding that he did have dragon pox, gave Sirius instructions for ensuring the disease was cured and not worsened.

"Now," the healer said, taking a look at where the child was nestled into Sirius to see if he was paying any attention. "You are to give him two potions a day, one before breakfast and the second before bed. Keep him warm, and I would advise using a wet washcloth to try and break the fever. You can use fever reducing potions, but be careful - at his age, too high of a dose can be bad. Feed him soup and softer foods, I imagine his throat will be sensitive. Normally the disease runs its course in about ten days, so if he's not better two to five days after that period, bring him back in, it could be worse than I anticipate."

Sirius nodded, taking in all the information while simultaneously rubbing Harry's back. "Thank you," he said sincerely, standing up and pulling his child up with him.

She stopped him as he made to leave. "Mr. Black, is there something else you wish to tell me about Harry?"

Sirius looked confused for a moment, and then his expression grew grim. "He had a less than ideal childhood, but I'm taking care of that now. Thank you for your time."

His vagueness worried the healer, who hated to think that something was wrong with the savior of the wizarding world, but she allowed them to leave nonetheless.

Sirius immediately flooed home and got Harry situated in his pajamas. "Okay, kiddo, why don't you take a nap for a little while and we'll see if we can get you feeling better, hmm?"

As he moved to put the child down in his bed, Harry wrapped his tiny arms around his godfather's neck. "Don't leave," he said weakly, and Sirius felt his heart clench. He had never seen his godson so vulnerable, even at the Dursley's; needless to say, he was getting worried.

"I'll stay with you, puppy, but do you mind if I write a couple of letters really quickly? I'll come right back." Sirius said gently, trying to placate Harry while also recognizing that he was going to need some help in the next few days. When Harry didn't let go of him, Sirius sighed, and picked up the blanket he had been carrying the child around in. Quietly, he set a warming charm on the blanket, then wrapped his godson up in it and carried the bundle towards his office.

Sitting Harry in his lap, he started writing letters to Remus and Molly for advice and assistance over the next week. He knew Remus could help cook meals for the three of them and would want to be there for Harry anyway, and Molly had plenty of experience with sick children to know how to make Harry more comfortable.

Once he had finished writing, he looked down at the small child nestled against him and smiled; the boy had his face pressed into his godfather's shirt, with one hand holding onto the fabric tightly. Sirius placed a kiss on top of the child's head, then stood up and walked back to Harry's room.

He laid Harry down in his bed, then climbed in beside him, knowing that the boy needed the attention at the moment. He pulled Harry against his chest again, and decided to sleep himself for an hour or so before he had to make dinner and give his godson more potions.

* * *

Remus Lupin was not one to panic, but when his friend sent him a letter saying that Harry was sick, he did all he could to get to their house as soon as possible with a large bowl of soup.

"Sirius!" He shouted out when he arrived in their kitchen, concerned when he found it empty. He ran up the stairs and down the hallway, searching frantically through the rooms to find any trace of his friend or the sick child.

He stopped when he got to Harry's room, letting out an audible sigh of relief. In the child's bed lay both Sirius and Harry, sleeping soundly. Sirius was holding Harry, who was wrapped up in a soft blanket and pressed against his godfather's chest, and one of Sirius's hands were tousled in the child's hair. Remus smiled and shook his head, not wanting to disturb either of them, and walked back down stairs to heat up the soup for when Harry felt like eating.

Thirty minutes later, Sirius walked down the stairs, still holding a dozing Harry. "Hey Moony," he said, holding back a yawn and gently nudging Harry again.

Harry whined and pressed his face deeper into his godfather's robes, not wanting to wake up.

"Puppy, you should try and eat something before you take your potions. Look, Uncle Moony's here, he brought you soup." Sirius tried again, sitting down in a chair with Harry in his lap. He motioned for Remus to bring a bowl over. "Thanks for coming, Rem. I was so worried when he woke up sick this morning."

"Of course, Padfoot," Remus said, attempting to spoon feed some of the warm soup to Harry. "Come on kiddo, open up. You'll feel better."

After a bit more whining and refusal from Harry, they finally managed to get him to eat half of the bowl and take his potion. Once this was done, Harry fell back asleep in his godfather's lap.

Sirius and Remus both smiled at the boy. "I should probably put him back to bed, it will be much more comfortable. I'd love for you to stay here for the next week until he gets better, if you'd like?"

Remus nodded. "Of course, Padfoot. I'll do whatever you need. I know it's hard being a single parent."

Sirius just smiled and shook his head, before kissing Harry's forehead once and carrying him back upstairs. "It's hard, but it's what James and Lily wanted… they wanted you to be around too, you know."

Remus smirked as his friend walked away. He knew that Sirius's words were true. James and Lily couldn't have picked a better godfather for their son, but they also wanted him to be around for Harry.

And so long as Harry needed them, they would be right there. Remus was confident of that.


	8. Fresh Sea Air

A/N: I have spring fever badly, so I decided to write the next chapter with them on vacation. Enjoy, and please review!

"Do you have everything you want to take puppy?" Sirius asked as Harry placed his stuffed stag toy in the suitcase.

"Yep! Can we go now, daddy?" Harry asked excitedly.

Sirius chuckled and shook his head, while simultaneously shrinking their suitcase and putting it in his robe pockets. "We have to wait on Uncle Moony, he wouldn't be happy if we left without him!"

Harry deflated a little bit, but nodded nonetheless. "I've never been to the seashore, what's it like?"

"Hmm, it's been a while since I've been there. I think there's a lot of water…" Sirius said, grinning and sitting on the bed beside Harry.

Harry giggled and swatted at his godfather. "Duh, it's the ocean! What else, daddy?"

"Well… there's sand that you can build with and shells you can collect. Oh, and there's sea monsters-"

"What!" Harry exclaimed, cutting his godfather off and looking at him with wide-eyes. "What kind of sea monsters?"

"Oh, the worst kind! They like to hunt for little boys… do you know what they do when they catch them?"

Harry shook his head, clearly rethinking their trip to the beach. Sirius smirked at his child's worried expression, then continued, "they tickle them!" He pounced on his godson and went at his ribcage, causing the boy to giggle and try to squirm away.

"Daddy!" Harry squealed, grabbing at his godfather's hands in a sore attempt to stop him.

"I'm not daddy, I'm the sea monster, remember?" Sirius asked, barking a laugh.

"Now, I thought you told me you were collecting Harry's things, not torturing him," Remus's voice said from the doorway.

Sirius grinned sheepishly at his friend before scooping Harry up into his arms. "I was just warning him of the sea monsters! I don't want my puppy to be unprepared when we get there."

"Moony!" Harry exclaimed, "are there really sea monsters?"

"I've never seen one, but we'll keep a good lookout for them while we're there." Remus said, tweaking Harry's nose with a laugh at the boy's alarmed expression.

Sirius kissed the boy's cheek, then set him down on the ground. "Come on, pup, time to go."

Harry nodded and raced out his bedroom door, clearly overcoming his fear of sea monsters at the idea of going on the trip.

"I'll apparate with the trunks nearby the town, then check in the hotel for us. You're taking Harry on the motorbike?" Remus asked, taking the shrunken trunk from Sirius.

"Yep, I've put protective spells on the bike and on him, so we should be fine. It will take us about thirty minutes flying there, so we'll meet you in the room." Sirius said, following his excited godson outside.

Once they were outside, Sirius helped Harry up onto the motorbike, then climbed on behind him, wrapping an arm firmly around the child's middle.

"Wait, Padfoot, shouldn't you give him a helmet?" Remus asked worriedly.

"We'll be flying for most of it… if he falls, which I've made it close to impossible for him to do, a helmet won't help him much." Sirius said solemnly, tightening his grip on the boy.

Remus picked up a pebble off the ground and transfigured it into a small, red helmet. "Then humor me, please? For when you drive into the beach town on the ground."

Sirius barked a laugh and shook his head. "Alright Moony, he'll wear it. Sorry pup, you gotta put this on."

Harry placed the helmet on his head and buckled it into place, then gave a thumbs up to signal he was ready to go. Sirius barked a laugh, but before he could start the engine, Remus spoke again.

"You really should wear a helmet too, Padfoot-"

"See you there, Moony!" Sirius cut him off, revving the engine and taking off into the sky, leaving an exasperated Remus behind.

Harry laughed as they flew through the clouds, leaning over slightly to look at the landscape. He had put his hands on the handlebars beside Sirius's, so he could feel like he was driving. Harry knew he liked flying on his child's broomstick, but that couldn't go very high - this was real flying, and he realized now that he had found his bliss.

"Going down," Sirius called after about twenty minutes of flying. "Hold on tight, pup."

Harry tightened his grip on the handlebars and simultaneously felt his godfather pull him closer against his chest with the arm that was wrapped around his waist.

The motorbike hit the ground and rolled on, kicking up dust as it passed through an old dirt road in the forest. The trees hung thick, casting a shade over the passengers as they journeyed on.

"Where are we, daddy?" Harry yelled, craning his neck to look up at his godfather.

"Just outside of Southwold. We'll be at the hotel soon." Sirius said, speeding up on the motorbike now that they were situated on the ground. "Keep a lookout for the lighthouse, okay?"

Harry nodded and started looking around as the surroundings changed from thick forest to old English cottages.

A few more minutes of silent driving, then Harry made an audible gasp. "Daddy, there! It's the lighthouse!"

Sirius laughed, feeling freer than he had in months as they sped through the little beach town, colorful cottages on their right and beautiful blue water to their left. The lighthouse stood tall in the middle of the cottages, equally as vibrant, creating a beautiful landmark for the little town.

"And, here we are," Sirius announced happily, turning into an inn. Remus was waiting outside and smiled as Sirius parked the bike and lifted Harry off of it, removing the helmet and releasing his messy black hair.

"I'm heading down the street to get some food for us to eat this week." Remus said, patting Harry's shoulder. "Don't let him get too close to the water or wander off if you go on the beach. Who knows what he'll get into-"

"Moony, I've been taking care of Harry for months, I won't let him out of my sight!" Sirius said, barking laughter.

"I was talking to your godson," Remus said with a wink at Harry, who was now giggling at his godfather's indignant expression.

"Oi, I resent that!" Sirius said, chuckling nonetheless. "How does the room look?"

"It's lovely, just like the rest of Southwold. After walking through town, of course, I didn't expect anything less. Two queen beds, a kitchen, and a small living room with a telly. We can cook dinner tonight and then go out to eat tomorrow after the beach. How does that sound Harry?" Remus asked kindly, startling the boy, who was looking towards the shore with awe.

"Great!" Harry enthused, pulling on his godfather's hand to signal that he wanted to go see the ocean.

Sirius chuckled, then turned to Remus. "We're going to be down at the beach I guess, come on when you get groceries. Do you have a room key? We should probably change into our trunks."

"Yeah, here you go," Remus said, handing Sirius the small golden key, then turning to head back towards the town.

Harry dragged his godfather upstairs to the hotel room as fast as he could; the Dursley's had never taken him anywhere, so he was extremely excited about playing in the ocean for the first time.

Remus was right about the room - it was perfect for the three of them. It opened up to a kitchen and living room, complete with bright colored furniture and a cozy fireplace. Harry would have plenty of room to play with his toys in there, though Sirius thought the child would be spending more time at the beach and the pool than in the room. There was a door to a second room that had two large beds, one for Sirius and one for Remus. Harry could pick which of them he wanted to share a bed with, or he could take the couch, if he prefered. It would work wonderfully for the few days they would be there.

"Here you go, Harry. Put these on out here and I'll go put mine on in the bathroom. I'll be right back, then we'll go out and see the ocean." Sirius said, handing a pair of bright red swim trunks to his godson.

Once both of them were dressed, they walked out of the inn and straight onto the beach. Harry looked up at his godfather nervously, but at the encouraging nod he received, he ran straight to the water, Sirius following closely behind and barking laughter.

Harry ran about knee-deep in the water before a wave knocked him over. Sirius lifted the boy back onto his feet, and held onto his hand to keep him up. "Come on, pup. I'll take you out a little deeper."

Harry laughed and hung on to his godfather's arm tightly as they walked out deeper. Sirius stopped at his hips and pulled the boy up against his chest. Harry was giggling madly as the water gently lapped against them.

Sirius grinned and then let his legs give, causing them both to fall down in the water with only their heads poking out. Harry shrieked and giggled as the water splashed around them. Smiling at his godson, Sirius shook his shaggy, black hair, spraying his child with more water.

Harry clung to his godfather, but looked around at the small minnows as they swam by with awe. Sirius watched his godson with a smile, but then a thought occurred to him. "Hey puppy, did you ever learn how to swim?"

Harry looked up at Sirius, his teeth worrying his bottom lip. "No, the Dursley's never let me go to the pool or the beach when they took Dudley."

Sirius nodded, figuring that much from Harry's descriptions of them. "Well, we can go to the pool at the inn tomorrow and I'll teach you, yeah?"

"Yeah!" Harry said, beaming at his godfather.

The two continued to play in the water for a little while longer, then returned to sit on the sand, where Harry promptly began clumping it up and placing it on top of himself.

"Let's build a sandcastle," Sirius suggested after a moment of watching Harry pile the sand on top of his legs.

"Okay," Harry said, giving his godfather a toothy grin and kicking the sand off of his legs. As he did so, a pile of sand went flying and hit a young lady on the back of her white bathing suit. Harry's expression immediately went from excited to distressed as he struggled to get out an appropriate apology. "I-I'm sorry Madame!" He said to the girl, though she didn't seem to hear him.

"No good little boys!" She exclaimed looking between Sirius and Harry with disdain before starting to walk away. "This is why I never want kids, they're too troublesome."

Sirius grit his teeth, contemplating telling the girl off for being so immature over a little sand thrown around, but then he noticed his godson's quivering lip and watery eyes. He pulled the boy up into his lap and hugged him gently, simultaneously shushing his whimpers. "It's okay, mate, don't cry. You didn't mean to hit her with the sand and you've never been to the beach before, I doubt you knew that would happen. You apologized and I'm proud of you for that. Just be careful in the future, okay?"

This surprisingly didn't quiet the boy, and he shook his head. "I am a no good boy," he said, his little voice quivering. "Uncle Vernon said that all the time and he was right."

"No he was not," Sirius said firmly, grabbing Harry's chin so the child looked him in the eyes. "You're a very good boy, just like your real daddy and mummy. They would have been so proud of you for apologizing to the lady, just like I am."

Harry nodded, but still looked down-trodden, so Sirius decided their chance to make a sandcastle was shot for the day. "Maybe Uncle Moony's back from town. I bet he'll make you a grilled cheese for dinner if you ask him nicely. Then maybe you can take Padfoot… er, Snuffles," Sirius amended quickly, seeing the child preparing to correct the nickname, "for a run on the beach later tonight. Yeah?"

The grilled cheese and playing with his godfather's animagus counterpart seemed to perk the child up, and he nodded enthusiastically at Sirius, allowing the man to lift him up and carry him back to the inn.

By the time they arrived in the room, Harry's spirits had been lifted significantly, and he greeted Remus with a full account of their time swimming in the ocean and playing with the sand; however, he faltered when he remembered kicking the sand on the lady, and looked up at his godfather apologetically. Sirius smiled at him and patted the top of his head. "Go get cleaned up kiddo, I'll help Uncle Moony with your sandwich."

Harry nodded and walked to the bathroom. After a moment, they heard the bath being turned on, and Remus looked at his friend curiously. "Did something happen?"

"Some girl got angry with Harry because he accidently kicked sand on her bathing suit. He tried to apologize but she cut him off and yelled at him. Had he not been so distressed, I would have had some choice words for her. Who wears white to the beach anyway?" Sirius added the last part after a moment, rolling his eyes. "I think I cheered him up though, I'm going to let him run around on the beach with Padfoot after dinner and maybe a quick nap."

"Isn't Harry a little big for naps? He's eight years old now, after all." Remus said, placing cheese on top of the bread he had been toasting over the stovetop.

"I meant a nap for me, I'm exhausted." Sirius said, shaking his head.

Remus rolled his eyes at his friend's antics, but nodded nonetheless. "Being out in hot weather and running around with a child tends to do that. Face it, Padfoot, you're not as young as you were."

Sirius pretended to be offended. "Moony, my old friend, you wound me. I'm not even thirty yet and you're already calling me old." Both friends chuckled, and then Sirius added, "Maybe I can convince Harry to take a nap too - after all, today's been a big day for him, the boy has to be tired-"

"Daddy!" Harry squealed, running in the room practically naked, with only his boxers on, and his earlier woes clearly forgotten if his beaming smile was any indication. "Daddy they have soaps shaped like fish in the bathroom!"

Remus chuckled as he continued to work on the sandwiches. An eight-year-old get tired in the middle of the day? Especially one with all of Harry's energy? Yeah, there was no way Sirius was going to get the child to take a nap. "You might as well take an energy potion now, Sirius, there won't be any naps on this trip."

Sirius pointedly ignored his friend and kneeled down in front of his godson. "Shaped like fish, you say?" Harry nodded enthusiastically and Sirius smirked. "No way! I'll need to see this for myself… and maybe grab that energy potion I hid earlier in the bathroom cupboard."

"What?" Harry asked confused, but trailing behind his godfather towards the bathroom, nonetheless.

"Nothing," Sirius said simply. "Now I know you didn't take your bath that fast, did you?"

Harry giggled and shook his head. "But daddy, if I use the fish soap it won't look like a fish anymore!"

"Hm, you're right," Sirius said, chuckling at the little boy. He conjured some soap with his wand and gave it Harry. "How about we use this one and just look at the fish ones?" At Harry's nod, Sirius smiled and conjured up a toy sailboat for the child to play with in his bath. "Good, now get in there and get cleaned up. We'll have dinner ready soon."

Sirius walked out of the bathroom and went to continue helping Remus. Sure, it was exhausting, but he wouldn't trade a minute of his time with his sweet godson.

* * *

Once Harry had been fed and Sirius managed to convince the excited boy to let him rest for a few minutes, the three headed back out to the beach. The sun was setting, casting golden rays over the blue ocean. It was a sight to behold, and Sirius almost regretted promising to change into his animagus form - dog vision would never do the view justice. Luckily, they had two more evenings there to enjoy the sunset, so he readily turned into Padfoot at Harry's request and chased the boy across the sand.

Harry giggled as he ran from the big black dog, stumbling and falling into the soft, wet sand. Padfoot immediately caught up to the boy and nuzzled his neck. Harry giggled and attempted to swat at his godfather. The two continued to wrestle and play around in the sand, but Remus soon caught up with them.

"Oh, Padfoot, now Harry needs another bath!" Remus said, playful exasperation coloring his stern words.

Padfoot whined and hid his face in between his paws. Harry giggled at his godfather and reached over the scratch the dog behind the ears. "Yeah, Snuffles, bad dog!"

With a _pop!,_ a sandy and wet Sirius was back, a smirk on his face as he pulled his godson into a gentle headlock. "Excuse me, puppy, did I hear that right?"

Harry giggled and squirmed, but finally succumbed to his fate and leaned against his godfather, panting from exertion.

Sirius smiled and pulled the child into a more comfortable position in his lap, then gently kissed his head. "Bedtime, I think."

"Not tired…" Harry mumbled, nuzzling deeper into the warmth that the man provided. The wind had picked up since they had been out earlier, and now the wet sand was uncomfortable.

Remus smirked at the boy, then helped Sirius up onto his feet without dropping Harry. "Your drooping eyes say differently, kiddo. Let's get you cleaned up again and then into bed. We'll even tell you a bedtime story."

The three returned to their hotel room and got cleaned up again, then tucked Harry into the bed with his godfather. Sirius handed Harry his stuffed stag toy and stroked the child's bangs back. "What kind of story do you want? We can read one of your books or Uncle Moony and I could tell you a story about your real daddy and mummy."

"Daddy and mummy," Harry mumbled, though he was cuddling up with his stag toy and closing his eyes. He would be asleep in a few moments, so Sirius started talking about James and Lily's wedding day, a story Harry had heard multiple times, since it was one of his favorites. Sirius continued to tell it, while also running a hand through the boy's hair, until he was sure the child was asleep. Remus was reading on the bed beside theirs and looked over when Sirius finished. "Goodnight, Padfoot," he said simply, turning the light off and closing his book.

"Night Moony, see you in the morning." Sirius said, turning to face the child and pull him closer.

* * *

"Daddy!" Harry yelled, pouncing on his godfather and shaking him. "Daddy wake up! You promised to teach me to swim today."

Sirius groaned and closed his eyes tighter. "What time is it?" He mumbled, pressing his face further into the pillow.

"Uh… six in the morning. Come on, daddy!" Harry said, giving his godfather another tug.

"Puppy, we can wait a little bit longer, the pool isn't open yet. Let daddy get a little more sleep…" Sirius said, grabbing Harry around his waist and pulling him to his chest.

Harry struggled against the arms holding him for a second, then looked up at his godfather indignantly. Sirius smirked at him for a second, then gave him his best puppy dog expression. "Please? Daddy won't be any fun if he's tired."

"He's right, Harry, your godfather gets cranky when he's tired." Remus said with a laugh, walking back in the room. Harry looked apologetically back at Sirius, feeling bad for waking the man up.

Sirius smiled at him and kissed his forehead. "I'm not mad at you, pup. Don't worry, I can get up now too, I'll be fine."

"Harry can come help me with breakfast," Remus suggested, sitting on the edge of his made-up bed. "You can sleep while we make it, then we'll eat together on the balcony and watch the sunrise. Can you help me, kiddo?"

Harry looked at his godfather again, still feeling bad for disturbing him. "Don't worry kiddo, I'll be right in there to eat with you." Sirius reassured, letting go of Harry and gently nudging him towards Remus. As they walked out of the room, Sirius mouthed a "thank you" to his friend, before turning back over and promptly falling asleep. The truth was, he didn't get tired that often, and he really wasn't that ill-mannered when he was; however, parenting was taking a bit of a toll on him, and he really appreciated Remus's help in times like this.

* * *

"Moony! Do they have a swim team at Hogwarts? Look at this champ go!" Sirius exclaimed, walking behind Harry as the boy swam through the pool. They had eaten breakfast that morning together, as promised, then went outside for the child's swimming lesson. Harry took to water naturally, which had surprised both Sirius and Remus - neither recalled James or Lily being great swimmers, but Harry did seem to have a natural athletic ability, one that was even stronger than James if the child's quidditch talent was any indication.

"Look, daddy! I can do it!" Harry laughed, treading water in the deeper end and beaming up at his godfather.

"I see that! I'm so proud of you!" Sirius said, smiling. "You ready to go back to the beach?"

At the vigorous nod he received, Sirius laughed and helped the child out of the water, motioning for Remus to follow them to the shore. Harry ran ahead of them excitedly, trying to search for a place for them to set their stuff down. Sirius laughed at his godson's antics, feeling free, at last, from many of the burdens that had plagued them the last few months. Harry was finally coming out of his shell, and the damage the abuse had caused was much less prominent. He truly couldn't wait to see what the next years brought with Remus and his godson by his side.


	9. School and Growing Up

"Daddy, I don't want to go!" Harry said, pouting as his godfather helped put his tie on.

Sirius raised an eyebrow at his fussy godson, but stood firm. He was making Harry go back to school for the new term, since the child needed to spend some time away from him, as well as meet more children his age. Harry had been doing better with his separation anxiety, but Sirius wanted to be sure that when the time to go to Hogwarts came around, Harry would be excited and not terrified to leave him. "Kiddo, we talked about this. You have to go - it will be lots of fun! Don't you want to meet some new friends?"

"They won't like me," Harry mumbled, hanging his head. "They'll think I'm a freak just like the kids in my old school did."

Sirius looked at his boy with concern, but shook his head, knowing he at least needed to make Harry try it - if the children did end up bullying him, Remus was perfectly capable of teaching the child his muggle studies until he went to Hogwarts. Nevertheless, Harry at least needed to go for a few weeks. "They won't think that, puppy. Remember, Dudley isn't at this school - it's a brand new school. Nobody will know you, so I'm sure once they meet you, they will love you. Just give it a go, okay?"

Harry sniffled, but nodded, accepting defeat. He was still a little afraid of being too defiant with Sirius, so he tried to behave to the best of his ability. This still didn't stop him from mumbling a shaky "yes sir" and staring at his trainers.

"Oi, none of that now, pup." Sirius said, swinging the boy up onto his hip and kissing his head. "You're going to have a great day, and if you don't, you're going to let me know what happened so we can stop any trouble before it starts, alright?"

Harry nodded, but his spirits hadn't really risen any. Sirius sighed, then carried his boy outside and sat him on the motorbike. He placed the little red helmet on Harry's head, then squeezed the small shoulder once before climbing on behind him and wrapping an arm around his waist. Since the school was close by, they drove over there in about five minutes time. Sirius parked his motorbike, then helped Harry off it.

Truly, Sirius was worried sick. He didn't want to force Harry to do anything, and hated the thought of his sweet, little boy being picked on by the other kids. If it was up to him, he would just keep Harry home and have Remus and himself teach him until he was older, but he knew that was unreasonable.

The two walked into the school together, Sirius carrying Harry's bookbag over his shoulder and holding the child's hand.

"Room 105, looks like this is it, puppy. I'll walk you in and meet your teacher -" Sirius started, but Harry cut him off.

"It's okay, daddy, none of the other kids parents are in there. They'll make fun of me if you go with me," Harry said, steeling his features and reaching up for his bookbag.

Sirius looked at him, concerned. "Are you sure? I won't stay long…"

"Yes, I'm sure." Harry tugged on Sirius's shirt sleeve and reached up for a quick hug. Sirius kissed his child's head, then watched as Harry walked into the room and went up to the teacher himself.

Sirius's heart was clenching - he was proud of Harry for being so brave and walking into the classroom by himself, as well as saying goodbye so easily. However, it hurt him so much to see his little boy walk away from him, even if it was only for a few hours. He discreetly wiped a tear that was threatening to fall away, then left the school and flew over to Moony's house until it was time to pick Harry up again.

* * *

"Before we begin, class, I would like to welcome our newest student. This is Harry Potter." Mrs. Anne, the teacher announced.

Harry smiled shyly, but fidgeted as all the students looked up at him. A part of him was wishing he had asked Sirius to walk in with him, but he knew the kids would have thought he was a baby if he had.

"Here Harry, why don't you go sit over there by Daniel and William. I'm sure they'll be happy to show you around the classroom and share snacks during snack time, right boys?" Mrs. Anne asked cheerfully, guiding Harry over to the empty seat between the two.

They seemed nice enough, though it was hard to tell when the teacher was standing right there. Daniel was a bigger boy, with spiky, brown hair and big blue eyes. William was smaller and had cool freckles all over his face - Harry considered showing him his scar, since it was his favorite part of himself and on his face as well.

"Hi Harry!" William piped up as Harry sat down beside him. "What's your favorite sport?"

"Uh, quidditch," Harry said quietly, not having watched sports until he moved in with Sirius, and only wizarding sports at that.

"What's that?" Daniel asked, his brow knitting in confusion.

Remembering what Sirius had told him about not telling anything about magic, Harry backtracked. "Er - it's just a game my friends and I play about the house… I also like football."

"Me too!" William said cheerfully, happy to ignore the weird sport Harry mentioned first. "I'm going to be a famous football player when I get older, do you want to practice with me at recess?"

"Sure!" Harry said with a smile, deciding he really liked William.

"Okay class!" Mrs. Anne said, after letting everyone talk for a few more minutes. "For our first assignment today, I want us to do an activity to allow us to get to know each other better. Everyone draw a picture of their family - you can include as many family members as you want, as well as your pets and maybe a friend or two. It should at least have your daddy, your mummy, and you. Okay?"

"Yes, Mrs. Anne," the children chanted back, grabbing their coloring supplies to begin.

"Who are you going to draw, Harry?" Daniel asked, grabbing a fat brown crayon and beginning to draw what looked to be a large dog.

"Uh, my daddy and me. That's it." Harry said simply, digging through his bag for his own crayons.

"You still call your father, daddy? I stopped doing that last year." William said, not unkindly.

"Why?" Harry asked, concerned. He had never had a daddy that he could remember, and he didn't want to quit calling Sirius that.

"Because I'm a big boy, right Daniel?" William asked with a goofy grin at his friend.

"Right! It doesn't mean we don't still love our dads though," Daniel added, seeing Harry's distressed expression. "It's just a different name for them, a more grown up name."

Harry nodded, but before he could comment further, his teacher had walked up behind him.

"Oh, Harry dear, family pictures are supposed to have a mummy and a daddy - you only drew your daddy." Mrs. Anne said, smiling at him.

"I don't have a mum or a dad though," Harry said simply, looking up at his teacher with wide-eyes. "I mean, that's my dad, but he's not my real dad. He's my godfather."

"Oh, you poor dear, I didn't realize that." Mrs. Anne said, sympathetically, patting Harry on his head. "Well carry on then, it's a beautiful picture."

Harry finished up his picture and continued to chat with William and Daniel, but all the while he was thinking about Sirius. He was definitely a big boy now, so he probably should stop calling his godfather "daddy;" "dad" would surely be fine and it still meant that he loved him, after all.

The rest of the day went by smoothly, and Harry really took a liking to the two boys he sat beside in class - William taught him how to dribble a football, and Daniel was a brilliant goalie during their game. Like Mrs. Anne said, both of them shared their snacks at snack time, and talked to him during their lessons. At the end of the day, Harry decided he would ask Sirius if the two of them could come over the next weekend so they could play more football and he could share his own snacks with them.

Harry followed his classmates outside the front doors of the school and immediately spotted his godfather leaning against the motorbike. "Dad!" Harry squealed when he got closer, running to him and jumping into his godfather's embrace.

Sirius was delighted to see his happy-looking child, but the word the boy had shouted out right before that shocked him slightly. "Puppy, since when do you call me dad?"

Harry leaned back and looked into his godfather's eyes. "It's a big boy name for daddy. It still means that I love you, it just makes me sound older, right?"

Sirius felt as if there was a lump in his throat, but he nodded nonetheless. "Right, kiddo, that's right. And I love you too… er, let's get home."

During the drive back, Sirius was having very conflicting emotions. On one hand, it was completely expected for Harry to quit calling him daddy - the child was eight years old, after all, and most children go to "dad" around that age. In fact, Sirius had been fully bracing himself for Harry to quit calling him any form of "father" at all. That title was, and would always be, reserved for James. Right now the name was fairly harmless; after all, Harry had been abused before and didn't know what a parent's love was like. It didn't hurt for him to refer to Sirius as his "daddy." In time, though, Sirius knew he would need to sit Harry down and explain that he was not his real dad, nor could he ever replace his real dad.

On the other hand, though, Sirius really thought of the boy like a son, and loved that the child considered him to be a parent-figure. It pained him to think that his little boy was growing up so quickly and that he might not hear the sweet voice call him "daddy" ever again. He subconsciously tightened his grip around Harry as they turned a corner into their cottage driveway.

Harry spent the afternoon excitedly telling his godfather about his two new friends from school, as well as starting on the homework assignment they had been given - to pick someone they admire and right a paragraph on that person, explaining who they are and why they admire them.

"Do you know who you're going to write about?" Sirius asked over dinner after Harry finished telling him about it. "There are some pretty famous artists in London, maybe we could take a trip to an art museum this weekend so you can find someone and do some research on them."

"I already know who I want to write about," Harry said with a goofy grin. "He's not anyone famous."

"Well, who then?" Sirius asked, smiling at his boy as he picked up the plates.

"You!" Harry exclaimed, hopping out of his chair and following his godfather over to the sink, where he was washing up from dinner.

"Me! Why me?" Sirius said, barking laughter. "I haven't done anything too spectacular, unless you count some of the pranks James and I played when we were younger."

"Because I admire you, and that's what the assignment is about." Harry said simply, hugging his godfather's leg before retreating upstairs to begin. Sirius smiled at the boy as he walked up the stairs, then went to do some work before saying goodnight.

* * *

"Alright, kiddo, day two of school tomorrow. Are you excited?" Sirius asked as he tucked Harry in that night. Secretly, he hoped Harry would say "no" and ask Sirius to let him stay and spend time with him, but after the way the boy spoke about his new friends, he knew that was unlikely.

"Yep!" Harry said, snuggling into his pillow and looking up at his godfather with sleepy eyes.

Sirius's heart clenched, but he smiled at the boy and leaned down to kiss his forehead. "Good, I'll wake you up when breakfast is ready in the morning. Sweet dreams, puppy, I love you."

Harry yawned and closed his eyes, a small, content smile playing on his features. As Sirius turned to walk out of the room, he heard the small voice call out to him. "Goodnight daddy, I love you too."

Sirius smiled to himself as he gently shut the door - yes, Harry was growing up, but no matter what, they would be okay.


	10. Auror Black

A/N: Sorry it took so long, school's been crazy. Here's the next installment of this story, please read and review!

Soon the summer months were over and autumn was upon them. This was a very difficult time for Sirius, the main reason being that the seventh anniversary of James and Lily's deaths were coming up that October. Someday he would explain more of that story to Harry, but for now, he grieved in solitude while his child continued going to school and making new friends.

James and Lily weren't the only things on Sirius's mind, though. Ever since Harry had started going to school, Sirius found himself sitting alone in the den, feeling slightly depressed as the days went on. Remus was often trying to find odd jobs and could only join him occasionally; it was for this reason, that Sirius decided he should go out and rejoin his old career as an auror. He had avoided this possibility for a while, deciding that Harry needed all of his attention; however, now that Harry had started going to school regularly, the boy had found his independence and often spent time with his friends in his free time.

The idea that his little boy was growing up and needing him less bothered Sirius more than he was willing to admit, but he knew he couldn't sit around and sulk for much longer. Sure, he had an abundance of savings in Gringott's from what his parents had begrudgingly left him, and he didn't exactly _need_ the job; however, it would give him something to do while Harry was off at school, as well as allow him to hopefully do some good in their corrupt ministry.

It was with all this in mind that Sirius dropped Harry off at school on the motorbike that following morning and, with a quick hug and kiss on the cheek from his boy, he flew off to London to go apply at the ministry.

Sirius walked through the main atrium of the ministry with confidence, despite the lingering stares from passerbys. He stepped in the elevator and pressed the correct number for the Department of Magical Law Enforcement; he remembered a lot of the details from his younger days with James, despite only working there for a couple of years.

Soon, he found himself waiting outside the office of the Head of the DMLE, Kingsley Shacklebolt. Lucky for Sirius, he was a friend of Kingsley's due to the Order, and actually trained with him back when he first began his auror studies. He felt fairly confident about the job for this reason, as well as because of the ministry's debt to him after his unfair imprisonment.

"Sirius Black," Kingsley's deep voice said from his right. Sirius stood from his chair and approached Kingsley, who was smiling at him from the door of his office. "I haven't seen you since you first got out of prison, it's almost been a year now hasn't it? How's Harry?"

"Yes, it has, and he's doing wonderfully. He's started a muggle school again and is getting along great with some new friends. I just dropped him off about an hour ago." Sirius said, following the man back into his office and sitting in the chair across from his desk.

"I'm glad to hear that Sirius, I was worried about him when Dumbledore told me what the Dursley's had done to him." Kingsley said, a sad note coloring his voice. "Anyway, I presume you're here to enquire about an auror position?"

"Yes, I am. Once I started sending Harry to school, I found that I had a bit more free time than I knew what to do with. If you've got it, I would like something that is normal business hours, where I would still have my evenings with Harry. I'm not aspiring to be a head auror or anything, I just want something to fill my time during the day and allow me to do some good in the world." Sirius explained.

Kingsley nodded and looked through some papers on his desk. "I'm sure we can work that out, as long as you don't mind working on basic cases of mis-used magic and what not. I can't put you on big cases unless you're willing to work more."

"I'm fine with that for now," Sirius said with a shrug. "Maybe I'll take on more when Harry leaves for Hogwarts, but for now I want to spend as much time with him as I can. Besides, we're in peace time right now - Voldemort's either gone or at bay, so I'm not too concerned with focusing on the more in-depth cases unless it affects my godson."

"Well, I'll work all that out for you. Can you start next Monday? I'll put you through a basic training course with Tonks to help you get your bearings back before we put you on the field, though I doubt you'll need much help. If I remember correctly, you were a very gifted auror in the past." Kingsley said kindly, signing off on some paper work and sending it off magically as a paper airplane.

"That sounds great, thank you, Kingsley. I'll try and bring Harry by sometime so you can see him; he's grown a lot in the past year and acts completely different than he did when you met him." Sirius said, shaking the man's hand and following him out of the office.

"Please do, I'm sure your cousin would also like to meet him. Tonks talked nonstop about how happy Andromeda was when your innocence came to light." Kingsley said, patting Sirius's shoulder.

Sirius nodded, a small smile playing on his features. "Yeah, I should probably attempt to be in more contact with her now that I'm out of prison."

"You'll figure it all out," Kingsley said, before bidding Sirius farewell and heading down the hall to what Sirius assumed was a meeting or training session.

Leaving the ministry, Sirius felt a twinge of guilt. He wondered if he should have consulted with Harry before getting a job; the boy was used to his godfather's doting tendencies, so he might not react well to something else stealing his attention.

He decided not to worry about it until later that evening, when he would explain his plans to Harry, and hope the boy understood.

* * *

Soon it was three o'clock, and Sirius was parked outside the school and leaning against his motorcycle, waiting for his boy to come outside. He heard the bell ring, then saw the stream of primary school students walking outside, talking to their friends, and searching for their parents among the crowd. Sirius spotted Harry walking with a small girl who had long, blond curls. He smiled to himself as Harry hugged the little girl and waved to her as she ran to her mother.

After watching the little girl walk away, Harry started looking for Sirius. When he saw him, his face broke into a huge grin and he ran to greet him the way he usually did - by jumping into his godfather's arms for a bear hug.

After holding the little boy close for a moment, Sirius pulled back and raised an eyebrow. "Harry, who was that little girl you were hugging?"

Harry's cheeks flushed red and he smiled shyly at his godfather. "She's my friend… her name is Emeline, but I call her Emme."

Sirius smiled mischievously and placed Harry on the front of the motorbike. He helped the boy with his helmet and asked, "Do you like Emme?"

"No!" Harry exclaimed quickly, flushing a brighter red. "Well… maybe a little. I like her hair, it's really pretty."

Sirius was slightly surprised at Harry's confession; he expected the boy to like redheads, the same way James had pined over Lily. However, he couldn't blame Harry for it - the little girl did have very pretty hair. "Yes, there's no denying that. Maybe Emme can come over one day for a play date?"

Harry turned around in his seat and looked up at Sirius, a huge grin on his face. "Really?"

"Yeah, I'll talk to her mom tomorrow afternoon and see if we can set up something. I expect you to behave though, okay? Remember that she's a muggle girl so she can't know about magic." Sirius said, throwing a leg over the motorbike and wrapping an arm around his boy.

Harry turned around before his godfather could start the engine and hugged the man around his neck. "Thank you!" He exclaimed, before pulling back abruptly and looking pensieve.

Sirius wrinkled his brow, concerned at Harry's change in demeanor. "What's the problem, puppy?"

"It's just, she's a muggle… I can't marry her because she can't know about magic." The boy looked absolutely crushed, and Sirius couldn't help but chuckle at his expression. Harry looked up at him, surprised and slightly betrayed at his godfather's response to his dilemma.

"You're a little young to be thinking about marriage, snitchy," Sirius explained, turning the boy on the motorcycle and wrapping his arm back around the child's middle. "However, when you're much, much older, if you decide that you still really like Emme, there aren't any rules against marrying muggles. You don't need to worry about that now though, just treat her the way you treat William and Daniel. Merlin knows I'm not old enough to have a god-daughter in law."

Harry giggled at his godfather and leaned back against the man's chest as the motorcycle roared to life. They drove out of the school yard and out west towards their little cottage in silence. Harry was thinking about playing games with his new friend, and Sirius was worrying about telling the child about his new job. Sure, Harry had grown so much since he first picked him up from the Dursley's, but the boy still relied on him a lot. What if the job proved to be too much of a commitment, and he had to leave his child more than he wanted to? Or what if Harry didn't want him to work in the first place and got upset?

He barely realized they had arrived on their street until he missed their cottage driveway, and Harry looked up at him like he was crazy. "Uh, dad, the house was that way." Harry said, patting the hand still wrapped around his middle.

Sirius looked around where they were driving, then shook his head. "Sorry, puppy, I'm not paying attention," he mumbled, turning the bike around and going back to their cottage.

"What's wrong, daddy?" Harry asked as Sirius pulled the helmet off the boy's head. Sirius smiled down at the boy; Harry typically called him dad since he began going to school, but sometimes when he was sad, or worried about his godfather, he'd revert back to the old name.

"Nothing's wrong, puppy. I do need to tell you something though," Sirius explained heavily.

Harry looked up at his godfather with concerned eyes, and lifted his arms up toward him, indicating that he wanted to be held by the man. This too, was happening less than it used to; Harry only asked to be lifted if he was afraid of something or felt that his godfather needed comfort. Sirius happily complied with the boy's wish, and pulled his child up into a warm hug before walking into their cottage.

He sat down on the couch and placed Harry in his lap. The boy rested his head on his godfather's shoulder and looked up at him with big, green eyes. Sirius realized that he shouldn't have looked so nervous earlier - he could tell his mood had rubbed off on his child, and now Harry was acting more timid than normal. He tried to smile reassuringly, and then placed a gentle kiss to the boy's head. "Puppy, what do you think about me going to work some?"

Harry looked up at his godfather, wrinkling his brow. He didn't know much about "work." He knew it was what adults did after they left school, but Uncle Vernon often came home angry after work and would take it out on Harry. Would Sirius start to do that too?

His lower lip quivered as he thought about his daddy making him cook him dinner everyday and getting angry when it wasn't finished on time. He pondered whether Sirius would start hitting him too, the way Vernon had done when he had a _really_ bad day at his job. A few stray tears fell down his face but he wiped them away quickly, not wanting to anger his dad.

Sirius, of course, noticed this immediately and pulled the little boy closer, tucking the child's head into the crook of his neck and rocking him. "Don't cry baby, I don't have to work if you don't want me to - I just figured it would give me something to do while you were at school. I'll call the ministry and tell them I changed my mind, please don't be sad."

This, of course, made Harry cry harder. He hated feeling like he burdened his godfather, and now he was keeping him from doing something he wanted to because he was scared. "I'm sorry, daddy," Harry said through his tears.

"Why are you apologizing, puppy?" Sirius asked, pulling Harry away from him so he could meet his tear-stained eyes.

"You want to go to work and I'm keeping you from going because I'm scared," Harry said through his sniffles, looking at the ground.

"Why are you scared? I'll still be able to take you to school and pick you up - you won't even know I'm gone," Sirius said, brushing the child's tears away with the pads of his thumbs, only to have them replaced soon after.

Harry gulped and looked down at the floor. "U-uncle Vernon always came back from work mad…" He mumbled, and more tears started to fall.

"Oh puppy, I won't turn into your uncle." Sirius soothed, bringing the child close to him again. "I could never hurt you, my precious boy. Never," he swore, more to himself than to Harry.

"Promise?" Harry mumbled, looking up at his godfather.

"I solemnly swear," Sirius said, kissing the top of the child's head.

Harry made a face. "What does that mean?"

Sirius smirked at the child's confusion and quick change in demeanor. "I'll show you someday. So, since I've promised to never, ever be like your uncle, do you mind if I work? It's dreadfully boring without you around here."

Harry gave his godfather a small smile and nodded. "Yeah, you can. Sorry…" he mumbled, attempting to slide off the man's lap. He was embarrassed for crying now - he knew Sirius wasn't like his uncle and wasn't going to hurt him, but something about the idea of his godfather working really worried him. Not to mention, he got the man's robes all wet, and figured Sirius was probably a little annoyed with him for that. However, he felt his godfather grab him and pull him closer as he started to move away.

"Oh no you don't," Sirius said playfully. "I haven't seen you all day and you're already trying to run away from me. What do you say we go fly outside for a little bit before you do your homework?"

Harry beamed up at his godfather, and immediately ran to the cupboard to collect their brooms. Handing the larger one to his dad, he ran outside and hopped on his own broom, then started flying towards the meadow behind their house. He laughed when his godfather began flying circles around him and squealed when the man tickled him from behind when they stopped. By the end of their time outside, Harry wondered how he thought his dad could ever be anything like his uncle; after all, he was kinder, more fun, and loved him. Those things wouldn't change because of a bad day at work, and Harry felt very content with this when his godfather ruffled his hair affectionately on the flight back to the cottage.


	11. First Christmas

"Where does this go, dad?" Harry asked, holding one of the magical ornaments up for his godfather to see.

Sirius smiled warmly at Harry, then turned to place some ornaments on the upper branches. "It can go wherever you want to put it, puppy. This is your tree after all."

Harry beamed and picked what he thought was a good branch for the ornament. It was a small, silver sphere that spun around its own axis and cast a beautiful sparkling light. Sirius had picked out multiple of these, as well as other magical ornaments for Harry. He knew the boy had never gotten a proper Christmas, so he wanted to do everything he could to give him one this year.

"Alright, pup," Sirius said once all the ornaments had been arranged. "Only one thing left. You get to put the star on top of the tree."

Harry looked up at his godfather with pure giddiness and reached his small hands over to hold onto the star. Sirius smiled at his little boy again before picking the child up around his waist and lifting him to place the star on top. Harry giggled with joy as he put the magical star in place, watching as it, like the other ornaments, began to twirl from its perch at the top of the tree. "Daddy!" Harry squealed excitedly, peering down at the tree they had spent the afternoon working on. "You're so tall! I can almost touch the ceiling from here."

To Harry's surprise and delight, Sirius tossed him gently up into the air at this; however, instead of coming down, Harry floated to the ceiling, then fell swiftly back into his godfather's waiting arms. Sirius chuckled as he cradled the boy, relieved to see the accidental magic. It hadn't shown up much since Harry had arrived to live with him, and Sirius had been worried that the Dursley's had squashed the magic out of his child.

Harry looked up at his godfather with wide, slightly frightened eyes. He knew his dad wouldn't hurt him, but this was the first time anything "strange" had happened around Sirius. Of course, he knew magic was real and his godfather could do it, but he couldn't help but to think back to the Dursley's punishments whenever he made weird things happen. The word _freak_ was resounding in his ear, and he felt his bottom lip start to quiver as he waited for his godfather's reaction. He searched his dad's expression for any sign of anger or disappointment, but instead saw him grinning down at him, his face a mixture of pride and love.

"Good job, puppy. You wanna float again?" Sirius asked, noticing and choosing to ignore the frightened look on Harry's face. He wanted to show his boy that the accidental magic was normal and a good thing - there could potentially be drastic consequences if Harry didn't recognize this.

"You'll let me?" Harry asked, surprised but beginning to grin back at his godfather.

"Of course," Sirius said, lifting Harry up and tossing the boy in the air again. This time, Harry was giggling as he floated up to the ceiling, then back down into his godfather's arms.

Once Harry had landed again, Sirius pulled him into a warm embrace. "I'm so proud of you," the man said gently in the child's ear, and Harry felt a familiar warmth creep into his chest as he snuggled closer.

"I love you," Harry declared confidently, feeling his eyes droop shut as the man continued to hold him.

"I love you too, Snitchy." Sirius said with a small smile. "You need to stay awake for a little longer though - Father Christmas is coming tonight and he needs you to put out some cookies for him."

Harry's smile faltered a little and he reluctantly opened his eyes to look up at his godfather. "He's never left me presents before," Harry whispered sadly.

"I don't think he could find you," Sirius said, feeling a burning hatred towards the Dursley's rise in his chest. "Your aunt and uncle kept you hidden under that staircase - I didn't even know to look there when I came to get you. It was wrong to lock you up in there all the time, you know that, right?"

Harry faltered, but nodded nonetheless when Sirius didn't continue. Sirius nodded back at the boy, then smiled again. "Father Christmas will find you here though, I promise. He won't be happy if we forget to put the cookies out, so we better get to that before your bath and bedtime story."

Harry's smile was soon back as they began to make the Christmas cookies; Sirius let him eat a little bit of the batter as they prepared them, then played with him while the cookies baked.

Sirius had been chasing the boy around the living room when the timer went off; Harry, who was almost exhausted from the long day, shot up and ran to the kitchen. One thing he had learned since moving in with his godfather was that the man was almost as good of a cook as their house elf was - definitely much better than Aunt Petunia had been, and he allowed Harry to eat much more than she ever had.

"Woah!" Sirius said as he chased the boy into the kitchen, barking laughter. Harry looked longingly up at the oven, but knew better than to try and open it himself.

Sirius smiled at the boy's antics. "Don't worry, puppy, you'll get a cookie too. We've got to let them cool so we can frost them, though."

Harry nodded and watched as Sirius took the baking sheet out of the oven and placed it on the counter top. "Now we wait. Why don't we go ahead and get your bath out of the way while they cool?" Sirius suggested, leading Harry up the stairs.

Once the boy had bathed himself and put on his snitch pajamas, he bounded back down the stairs and into the living room, where his godfather was looking through a magazine.

"Ready," Harry announced, climbing into his godfather's lap and snuggling up to him affectionately. Sirius kissed the child's forehead and then carried him back into the kitchen, where he set him down on a stool in front of the counter. The two set to work frosting the cookies, Sirius occasionally tickling Harry when there was a lull in conversation.

Harry made cookies of all shapes and sizes: he decorated a few like the fairies in their garden, one like the golden snitch he adored, and one like Father Christmas himself. Sirius set these on a plate and placed it on the table by the Christmas tree. He led Harry back into the kitchen and handed him a decently sized cookie that had been decorated as a racing broom. "Here's the cookie I promised you. Listen, don't tell Moony I gave you sweets so late at night, alright? He'll have my tail for it."

Harry giggled at the thought of Remus chasing Sirius in his animagus form, but nodded anyway. "Okay, dad. What time is Uncle Moony coming over?"

"He'll be here first thing in the morning to watch you open the presents from Father Christmas, then the Weasley's will join us later for Christmas dinner. Now, I think it's time for bed, don't you?" Sirius said gently, smiling at Harry's sleepy expression.

"But I'm not tired!" Harry attempted to weakly argue, but before he could get the words out, he felt his godfather reach down and lift him.

"Father Christmas won't come if you're awake, puppy. Don't worry, I'll wake you first thing in the morning." Sirius said soothingly, rubbing the child's back as he carried him upstairs to his bedroom. By the time Sirius had tucked him in, Harry was fast asleep, dreaming of a Christmas tree with a present underneath it just for him.

* * *

"Harry… Harry…" A gentle voice broke into Harry's dreams, and he blearily opened his eyes. Moony was standing over him, smiling gently. "Happy Christmas, kiddo."

Harry beamed up at the man and hugged him immediately; it was a moment later, once Harry was really awake, that he noticed the absence of his godfather. "Uncle Moony?" The boy questioned softly.

"Yes, Harry?" Remus said, pulling back from the child.

"Where's dad?"

"Ah, the old dog's still sleeping. I figured you would like the honor of waking your godfather up on Christmas morning. Am I correct?"

Harry nodded brightly and followed Remus out of his bedroom, still clad in his footy pajamas. They walked silently into Sirius's bedroom, and Remus signaled for Harry to be quiet. "Go jump on him, kiddo."

Harry smiled and then silently trotted across the soft carpet to the side of his godfather's bed. He took a step back and prepared to pounce, shooting Remus a sideways glance for confirmation. At Remus's thumbs up, Harry jumped - only to be caught by an amused Sirius, who had turned just in time to wrap his arms around the boy.

Remus and Sirius both chuckled at Harry's indignation, and Sirius sat up slowly in bed, still holding the boy. He pressed a quick kiss to the top of Harry's head, then murmured a "happy Christmas" to the child.

"How did you know?" Harry asked, looking up at his godfather.

"I know everything," Sirius said with a smirk. "You want to know what else I know?"

"What?"

"I know that there's a pile of presents downstairs waiting for you." Sirius replied, loosening his grip on the child so Harry could run to the tree.

Sirius's smirk turned into a frown when Harry didn't leave his arms. "Don't you want to go look at your presents?"

"What if there isn't a present?" Harry asked nervously. "He's never left me one before."

"He never left you one because he couldn't find you, puppy. I told Father Christmas myself that you were here and that you were very excited. I'm positive that you'll have at least one present from him, if not more. Then, of course, Uncle Moony and I bought you some stuff too. You'd better get on down there or we'll be opening presents all morning." Sirius said, patting Harry on the back and making to stand up as well.

Harry grinned up at him and jumped off the bed, following both of the men downstairs. He stopped and stared when they reached the den, his mouth hanging open in awe. The Christmas tree was even more beautiful than it had appeared the night before, and now it had almost twenty presents underneath it. The silver and gold wrapping paper matched the ornaments Sirius had picked out for the tree, and the entire thing glistened in the center of the room, beckoning Harry to come closer.

Harry felt his godfather nudge his shoulder. "Go on, puppy, let's see what Father Christmas brought you."

Harry blushed a deep crimson and looked down at his feet. "You guys can open your presents first."

Sirius chuckled and placed a hand on the boy's shoulder before leading him closer to the tree. "I have no desire to see what color trousers Remus bought me this year, though I'm sure they'll be very practical. I think we all want to see what you're getting."

Finally accepting it, Harry reached for a small box on top of the pile of presents and sat down in front of the tree. Sirius and Remus followed suit, each sitting on one side of the boy and watching him intently. Gently, so as not to rip the paper, Harry attempted to remove the tape that was binding it.

"Oi, Harry, you're supposed to rip it off," Sirius said gently, grabbing one end of the box and tugging on the decorative paper. "That's half the fun. Go on, now."

Harry nervously followed his godfather's instructions, ripping off the wrapping paper in bits, though he felt slightly bad about it - it was beautiful and he was sure it took Father Christmas a long time to wrap it.

Once the wrapping paper had finally been removed, Harry had a small black box with the initials, "J.P." engraved on the front of it. Reverently, Harry removed the lid, and gasped at the contents of the tiny box.

Inside was a beautiful golden snitch, which immediately flew out of its box and buzzed around Harry's head until the boy reached out and grabbed it.

"That's a real snitch, pup, like the one in the quidditch stores. That one's special though, you know why?" Sirius asked, helping Harry place the object back in its box.

Harry shook his head and looked up into Sirius's grey eyes, interested. Sirius smiled at the child as he placed the lid back on the box. "It was your dad's - he carried it with him everywhere. I figured he'd want you to have it so I asked Father Christmas if he could bring it here."

Harry beamed up at his godfather and lunged forward to hug the man. "Thank you!" He exclaimed, feeling Sirius pull him into his lap.

"Don't thank me yet," Sirius said with a bark-like laugh. "There's still at least ten more presents under here with your name on it, you better get to it."

Without hesitation, Harry continued to open his presents, resting his back against his godfather's chest as he did so. Once he had opened everything, Harry had a new Weasley sweater, plenty of wizarding candy, a new set of figurine dragons, a wizard's chess set, some quidditch supplies, a few picture books, and a large, stuffed black dog - he could barely contain his gratitude.

Sirius chuckled as he pulled the boy close again. "There's still one more thing, although it's not really a present you'll want to play with. I've got some papers here." He reached behind the tree and pulled out a small folder with the ministry's logo printed on the front. Remus stood quietly and exited the room to go check on breakfast - he knew that this was going to be a private moment for Sirius and Harry, and didn't want to disturb them.

Harry looked up at the man with big, confused, green eyes. Once Sirius was sure he had the boy's undivided attention, he continued. "I know you've always wanted a family, mate. We're family now, but I want to be sure that no one can change that. If you'll agree, I want to adopt you… but only if you want me to. If you don't, it won't change a thing between us, I'll always love you and take care of you."

Harry stared up at the man for a few more moments, his thoughts clouded. "Like… be my real dad?"

"Legally, yes. I would never hope to replace James for you, Harry. I just want to make sure if anything ever happened, you wouldn't be taken away from me. You already are like a son to me, so the papers are more of a formality." Sirius explained, searching the young face for any sign of confusion or distaste.

Harry began to grin as he grasped what his godfather was saying to him. "You really want to be my daddy?"

Sirius smiled gently at the child. "More than anything, pup."

Harry squealed a "yes!" before wrapping his arms around Sirius's neck. Sirius hugged the boy back with one hand while simultaneously signing the papers with the other, preparing to have them sent off to the ministry to be finalized.

Once the two separated, Sirius led a beaming Harry into the dining room for a Christmas breakfast of pancakes and pumpkin pasties with Remus. The rest of the day passed on quickly, with a visit from the Weasley's being one of the highlights.

Harry was still smiling when he went to sleep that night, happier than he could ever remember being in his life. It was hard to believe that less than a year ago he had been sleeping in a cupboard at his Aunt and Uncle's house - now Sirius had made it so Harry would always live with him, and to Harry, that was the greatest Christmas present the man could have ever given him.

A/N: Sorry it's been so long, guys! I got out of school at the start of May and have been taking a break from writing, but I'll try and get back into it! Also, my other story (You Raise Me Up) has not been completed yet, but I do plan to finish it! Stay tuned for that. Read and review please! :)


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